Florida's Space Coast — home of NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — remains the reigning rocket launch capital of the world. Last year ushered in a new annual record of 109 orbital launches,

Last year delivered doses of drama and excitement in the space business, with a record number of launches, breathtaking vistas of other worlds, and a multitude of breakthroughs and setbacks. 2026 is shaping up to be another thrilling year in the cosmos.

If you thought 2025 was an exciting year for spaceflight, just wait until 2026. Here's a look at six missions that could define the year.

SpaceX is prepping for its 3rd rocket launch of 2026 from California. Here's what time and where to see Falcon 9 thunder into the sky from Vandenberg.

A growing cadence … The Ariane 6 rocket has launched five times, including its debut flight in July 2024. All of the launches were a success, although the first flight failed to relight the upper stage in order to make a controlled reentry. Arianespace increased the cadence to four launches last year and will seek to try to double that this year.

For just the second time in 2026, a SpaceX rocket is due to blast off from Southern California. Here's how to watch a livestream of the launch.

Rocket Lab plans to launch its Electron rocket from Virginia's Wallops Flight Facility at midnight, Dec.18. The mission will deliver four experimental disk-shaped satellites into orbit for the U.S. Space Force. While the NASA Wallops Visitor Center will ...