Artemis III Crew Announcement
Press Event
NASA will provide an update on the agency’s Artemis III mission and announce the astronauts assigned to the test flight. Artemis III will launch four astronauts from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orion spacecraft on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The mission will test critical rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial human landing systems needed to deliver astronauts to the lunar surface. Building on the successful Artemis II crewed test flight in April, Artemis III will pave the way for future surface missions.
Hayabusa2 S-Type Asteroid (98943) Torifune Flyby
Flyby
As part of its mission extension, JAXA's Hayabusa2 spacecraft will observe S-type asteroid (98943) Torifune during a high-speed fly-by.
Total Solar Eclipse in Europe
Celestial Event
On 12 August 2026, a solar eclipse will be visible across parts of Europe and the north Atlantic. The path of totality will cross Greenland, Iceland, Spain and a small area of northeastern Portugal. Other parts of Europe will see a partial solar eclipse.
Juice Earth Flyby
Flyby
Third flyby of ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) mission on its way to the Jovian system.
BepiColombo Mercury Orbit Insertion
Orbital Insertion
Orbital insertion around Mercury of the ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission.
Solar Orbiter Venus Flyby
Flyby
Solar Orbiter, a partnership between ESA and NASA, will perform a gravity assist maneuver with Venus on December 24, 2026. Throughout its mission it also makes repeated gravity assist flybys of Venus to get closer to the Sun, and to change its orbital inclination, boosting it out of the ecliptic plane, to get the best – and first – views of the Sun’s poles.
Europa Clipper Earth Flyby
Flyby
NASA’s Europa Clipper will fly by Earth for a second and final gravity assist on its way to Jupiter.
US EVA-95
EVA
Two astronauts will replace a high-definition camera on camera port 3, install a new navigational aid for visiting spacecraft, called a planar reflector, on the Harmony module’s forward port, and relocate an early ammonia servicer jumper — a flexible hose assembly that connects parts of a fluid system — along with other jumpers on the station’s S6 and S4 truss.
Boeing Starliner-1 Docking
Docking
The Starliner-1 spacecraft will dock autonomously to the International Space Station, carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station.
Boeing Starliner-1 Landing
Spacecraft Landing
Following its deorbit burn, the Boeing CST-100 Starliner will reenter the Earth's atmosphere and land at the White Sands Missile Range using its parachutes.