Human Spaceflight Rockets in 2026: A New Era Takes Off
TL;DR Artemis II splashed down April 11, 2026 - first crewed lunar return since 1972, setting a new distance record of 252,756 miles Crewed rockets in 2026: SLS/Orion, Starship, New Glenn, and China’s Long March 10 - government and commercial programmes running in parallel The Moon is the near-term focus (Artemis III lander race); Mars remains Starship’s long bet Reusability and launch cadence now matter as much as raw lift capacity This decade may be the most consequential for crewed spaceflight since Apollo - but with a different industrial base A few weeks ago, four astronauts came home from the Moon for the first time since 1972. Artemis II splashed down on April 11, 2026, after a nine-day flight that took its crew further from Earth than any human has ever travelled - 252,756 miles, a new record set by Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. ...