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NASA

Verified timeline, 11 Jan 2026 to 8 Oct 2026. Every entry is confirmed by independent sources, listed at the foot of the page.

Latest entry

SpaceX Crew-12 returns after 237 days in orbit.

8 Oct 2026

Timeline

  1. Science and tech

    SpaceX Crew-12 returns after 237 days in orbit12

    Crew Dragon Freedom splashed down off Los Angeles on 8 October with NASA's Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, ESA's Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos' Andrey Fedyaev. Crew-13 launched on 1 October.

    • Crew Dragon Freedom splashed down in the Pacific off California on 8 October 2026 at 11:34 a.m. EDT
    • 237 days in orbit; launched 13 February 2026
    • Crew: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev
    • Crew-13 had arrived at the ISS on 1 October
  2. Science and tech

    SpaceX Crew-13 launches to the International Space Station34

    A Dragon with two NASA astronauts, one Roscosmos cosmonaut and one Canadian astronaut left Cape Canaveral on 1 October.

    • Launched 1 October 2026 at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
    • Crew: Jessica Watkins (commander), Luke Delaney (pilot), Joshua Kutryk (CSA) and Sergey Teteryatnikov (Roscosmos)
    • NASA described it as the fastest launch-to-docking by a US spacecraft in ISS history
    • Crew-12 had been aboard since February; Crew-13 stays about six months
  3. International

    Turkiye becomes 71st signatory of the Artemis Accords567

    Turkiye became the 71st signatory of the Artemis Accords on 31 August 2026 when Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir signed at NASA headquarters, hosted by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

    • Signed 31 August 2026 at NASA HQ, Washington
    • 71st signatory (the US plus 69 others joined before it)
    • Signed by Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir
    • Accords launched in 2020 as non-binding principles for civil space activity
  4. Science and tech

    NASA ends MAVEN Mars mission after losing contact in December 20258910

    NASA declared the MAVEN spacecraft lost on 3 June 2026. Contact last made on 6 December 2025 as it emerged from behind Mars. Investigators found it spinning at a high rate, draining its batteries.

    • NASA declared the MAVEN spacecraft lost on 3 June 2026
    • Contact last made on 6 December 2025 as it emerged from behind Mars
    • Investigators found it spinning at a high rate, draining its batteries
    • MAVEN launched November 2013 and operated for over a decade
  5. Science and tech

    NASA launches Artemis II; crew sets distance record and splashes down1112131415

    NASA launched Artemis II on 1 April, sending Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada's Jeremy Hansen on a lunar flyby. On 6 April the crew passed the Apollo 13 distance record and Orion splashed down in the Pacific on 10 April.

    • Launch 1 April 2026 from Kennedy Space Center on the SLS
    • Crew: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch (NASA) and Jeremy Hansen (Canada)
    • 6 April: crew passed the Apollo 13 distance record of 248,655 miles; peak distance about 252,756 miles (406,771 km), more than 4,100 miles beyond Apollo 13
    • Splashdown 10 April 2026 in the Pacific off San Diego (evening US time, so 11 April in some time zones)
    • First crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 (1972)
  6. Science and tech

    NASA pauses Lunar Gateway; Artemis II countdown begins for 1 April launch16171819

    On 24 March 2026 NASA said it would pause the Lunar Gateway to focus on a surface base. Artemis II, the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17, then launched on 1 April and splashed down on 10 April.

    • 24 March 2026: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Gateway would be paused and focus shifted to a lunar surface base (about USD 20 billion over seven years)
    • Artemis II launched on 1 April 2026 at 6:35 pm EDT and splashed down off San Diego on 10 April
    • Crew: Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada's Jeremy Hansen; first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 (1972)
  7. International

    Oman becomes 61st signatory of the Artemis Accords202122

    Oman signed the Artemis Accords on 26 January 2026, becoming the 61st country to join the US-led principles for civil space exploration.

    • Oman signed the Artemis Accords on 26 January 2026 in Muscat, the 61st signatory
    • Signed for Oman by transport and IT minister Said al-Maawali, at the Middle East Space Conference
    • US-led non-binding principles for civil space exploration
  8. Science and tech

    Strongest solar radiation storm since 2003 hits Earth232425

    A major solar particle event on 19 January was the largest since the 2003 Halloween storms, producing widespread auroras.

    • An S4 (severe) solar radiation storm reached Earth on 19 January 2026, the strongest since October 2003
    • Triggered by an X1.9 flare on 18 January and a coronal mass ejection; it came with a G4 geomagnetic storm and low-latitude auroras
    • Effects are mainly on satellites, aviation and space launches; ground-level health risk negligible
  9. Science and tech

    NASA Crew-11 returns early in first ISS medical evacuation262728

    The four members of NASA's Crew-11 left the ISS and splashed down on 15 January, a month early, after the first-ever medical evacuation from the station.

    • Splashdown 15 January 2026 in the Pacific off San Diego, California
    • Crew-11: Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke (NASA), Kimiya Yui (JAXA), Oleg Platonov (Roscosmos)
    • Returned about a month early after a medical concern with a crew member (NASA did not name the person)
    • First time a medical issue cut short a NASA ISS mission
  10. Science and tech

    NASA launches Pandora exoplanet telescope on Falcon 9293031

    NASA launched its small Pandora space telescope on 11 January on a Falcon 9 to study exoplanet atmospheres, alongside two CubeSat telescopes.

    • NASA's Pandora exoplanet smallsat launched on 11 January 2026 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 'Twilight' rideshare from Vandenberg Space Force Base, with about 40 payloads
    • Yearlong mission to study at least 20 known exoplanets and their host stars with a 45 cm telescope
    • Led by NASA Goddard; selected in 2021 under the Astrophysics Pioneers programme

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Sources

  1. NASA
  2. Fox 35 Orlando
  3. NASA
  4. Space.com
  5. NASA
  6. Daily Sabah
  7. US State Department (via GlobalSecurity)
  8. Fox Carolina (AP)
  9. ETV Bharat
  10. Scientific American
  11. Spectrum News (AP)
  12. IANS
  13. BBC Sky at Night
  14. News Tribune (AP)
  15. FOX 2 Detroit
  16. Sharjah24
  17. Deccan Chronicle
  18. NASA (official)
  19. Bay News 9
  20. NASA (official)
  21. JNS (State Dept statement)
  22. WDBO
  23. Space.com
  24. ExplorersWeb
  25. News-Argus (NOAA via SWNS)
  26. NPR
  27. Space.com
  28. KUOW (NPR)
  29. Space.com
  30. Spaceflight Now
  31. NASA