The Sky Is Getting Crowded: February 2026 Space Launch Schedule

I simply poured my second cup of espresso, opened the worldwide launch manifest, and truthfully, I needed to blink twice. For those who thought January was busy, February 2026 is shaping as much as be an absolute site visitors jam in low Earth orbit.

We’re all the pieces from secretive space planes and human crew missions to the heavy-lifting giants of ULA and Ariane combating for dominance. It appears like each main spaceport on the planet is energetic this month.

I’ve damaged down the chaos under, however first, I need to spotlight the missions that I’m personally setting my alarm for.

The Thriller of the “Divine Dragon”

Probably the most intriguing launch on my radar is occurring this Saturday, February seventh. China is launching its Reusable House Car (typically nicknamed “Shenlong” or Divine Dragon) on a Lengthy March 2F/G.

Why do I care? As a result of that is principally the sibling rival to the US Air Power’s X-37B. It’s extremely labeled. We don’t know precisely what it seems like, we don’t know what it’s carrying, and we don’t know the way lengthy it’ll keep up there. It launches, orbits, after which lands on a runway like an airplane. The secrecy round this mission all the time offers me chills—it jogs my memory that the house race has developed from “flags and footprints” to high-tech orbital maneuvers.

People Returning to Orbit: Crew-12

Just some days later, on Wednesday, February eleventh, SpaceX is doing what it does greatest: sending astronauts to house. The Crew-12 mission is about to carry off from Florida.

Though Falcon 9 launches really feel routine now, I by no means get bored with watching a crewed launch. There’s a totally different power within the management room and a special stress within the air when there are heartbeats on board. This mission retains the ISS totally staffed and operational.

The Heavyweight Championship: Vulcan vs. Ariane 6

That is the place the engineering nerd in me will get excited. Now we have two huge launches back-to-back:

1. USSF-87 (Feb 12): ULA is launching a Vulcan rocket for the US House Power. This can be a essential nationwide safety mission.
2. Amazon Leo (Feb 12): On the exact same day, Arianespace is launching an Ariane 64.

It’s uncommon to see two heavy-lift autos from totally different continents launching inside hours of one another. It actually exhibits how aggressive the launch market has grow to be.

📅 February 2026 House Launch Calendar

I’ve compiled the schedule under so you may monitor the insanity. Please bear in mind, spaceflight is difficult—dates and occasions typically slip as a consequence of climate or technical gremlins. All occasions are listed in GMT+3 (Istanbul time).

What I’m Maintain My Eye On

Trying on the “TBD” (To Be Decided) listing on the backside, the New Glenn launch catches my eye. Blue Origin has been engaged on this huge rocket for years. In the event that they handle to launch the BlueBird Block 2 this month, it will likely be a historic second for Jeff Bezos’s house ambitions.

Additionally, don’t sleep on the Firefly Alpha launch on the 14th. The small satellite tv for pc market is brutal, and Firefly must show consistency.

It’ll be a loud month. I’ll be updating my Twitter feed as these launches occur, particularly if we get any visuals on that Chinese language house airplane.

Which mission excites you essentially the most: The thriller of the Chinese language house airplane, the human drama of Crew-12, or the heavy metallic energy of Vulcan and Ariane?

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