Monthly Dose of Space - February 2026
Welcome to our twenty-ninth Monthly Dose of Space! In this monthly newsletter, we bring you news from the past month. Despite being the shortest month of the year, February has been plenty busy.
News of the Month
February saw multiple delays to Artemis II and a reorganization of future Artemis missions, while China tested its new Mengzhou capsule with an in-flight abort test. Additionally, Crew Dragon carried four new astronauts to the International Space Station, both Falcon 9 and Vulcan experienced hardware issues, and Pakistan is set to have its first person in orbit this year.
- NASA's Crew-12 Begins Mission to International Space Station With Falcon 9 Launch
- Crew-12 astronauts reach International Space Station
- China prepares to test Mengzhou capsule
- China's Mengzhou capsule completes in-flight abort
- Artemis II mission expected for March
- Artemis II mission set for April
- NASA Reorganizes Future Artemis Missions, SLS Rocket
- Zhuque-3 planned to land as early as April
- Falcon 9 Experiences Fourth in-Space Anomaly Within Two Years Following Starlink Mission
- Vulcan Begins USSF-87 Mission With Minor Anomaly During Fourth Launch
- Musk Says SpaceX Will Focus on the Moon Over Mars
- First Four-Booster Ariane 6 Leaps Into Orbit Carrying Eighth Set of Amazon Leo Satellites
- NASA Declares Unsuccessful Starliner Crewed Flight Test a Major Mishap
- Rocket Lab Just Threw Something Very Pointy Into the Atlantic
- Orbital Data Center: Innovation, or IPO Theater?
- China's Space Enterprises Quietly Lead in-Space AI Compute Capabilities
- Pakistani astronaut to visit Tiangong this year
- Rocket Lab Delays Neutron to end of 2026
Launches of the Month
This month saw 20 launches worldwide, continuing a busy year. If you want to know what each launch was we have them all listed below!
February 2nd - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-32
Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E, in California, carrying twenty-five Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. Booster B1071 supported this launch for its thirty-first flight, landing downrange on the drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You'.
Following the deployment of the Starlink satellites, Falcon 9's second-stage experienced an anomaly in-space, the fourth within two years, preventing it from performing its deorbit burn.
February 5th - Soyuz 2.1b with several Cosmos satellites
Out of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, a Soyuz 2.1b flew into sun-synchronous orbit while carrying a handful of Cosmos satellites on behalf of the Russian military.
February 7th - Long March 2F/T with Reusable Experimental Spacecraft
A Long March 2F/T lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and headed for low Earth orbit, while carrying China's Reusable Experimental Spacecraft. The spacecraft is expected to spend an extended period of time in orbit to perform experiments and technology testing.
February 7th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-33
Another twenty-five Starlink satellites were delivered to low Earth orbit by a Falcon 9, for its 'return-to-flight' mission from Space Launch Complex 4E. Supporting this mission was booster B1088, for its thirteenth flight and landing on the drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You' downrange.
February 11th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-34
Falcon 9 launched from Space Launch Complex 4E, in California, carrying twenty-four Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. Booster B1100 supported this launch for its third flight, landing downrange on the drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You'.
February 12th - Jielong-3 with seven satellites
Off of a launch ship in the South China Sea, a Jielong-3 flew into sun-synchronous orbit carrying Pakistan's PRSC-EO2 optical remote sensing satellite, the Hong Kong-made Chinese University of Hong Kong-1 DeepSeek-running remote sensing spacecraft, a trio of Geespace's Shutianyu space debris monitoring satellites, Changguang Satellite Technology's Earth-imaging Power Infrared Satellite-A, and the China Academy of Space Technology's Space Environment Monitoring Satellite.
February 12th - Proton with Elektro-L No.5
A Proton rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome and toward geostationary orbit, carrying the Elektro-L No.5 weather satellite. Once commissioned, the satellite will provide weather data via visible light and infrared imaging every thirty minutes.
February 12th - Vulcan for USSF-87
United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket flew from Space Launch Complex 41, in Florida, to begin the USSF-87 mission on behalf of the American military. Satellites believed to be onboard were at least one Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program satellite and a 'Propulsive ESPA' for training U.S. military spacecraft operators.
February 12th - Ariane 6 with LE-01
For the first time with four boosters, Europe's Ariane 6 rocket soared out of the Guiana Space Centre and into low Earth orbit, carrying thirty-two Amazon Leo satellites. With this launch, Amazon's internet connectivity constellation has 212 satellites in orbit.
February 13th - Falcon 9 with Crew-12
Out of Space Launch Complex 40, a Falcon 9 flew into low Earth orbit with Crew Dragon C212 'Freedom' atop of it, for the fifth time, to send astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot, and Andrey Fedyaev toward the International Space Station. Supporting this mission was booster B1101, flying for the second time and touching down at Landing Zone 40 in Florida.
February 15th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-13
SpaceX's Falcon 9 sent twenty-four Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E, in California. Supporting the mission was booster B1081 for its twenty-second flight, landing downrange on the drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You'.
February 16th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 6-103
Out of Space Launch Complex 40, a Falcon 9 flew into low Earth orbit carrying twenty-nine Starlink satellites. Booster B1090 supported this launch for its tenth flight, landing on the drone ship 'A Shortfall Of Gravitas' downrange.
February 20th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 10-36
Twenty-nine more Starlink satellites were placed into low Earth orbit by a Falcon 9 flying from Space Launch Complex 40. Support this launch was booster B1077, flying for the twenty-sixth time and landing downrange on the drone ship 'Just Read The Instructions'.
February 21st - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-25
Another twenty-five Starlink satellites were delivered to low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E by a Falcon 9. Booster B1063 supported this launch for its thirty-first flight, with a landing on the drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You' downrange.
February 22nd - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 6-104
A Falcon 9 launched out of Space Launch Complex 40, in Florida, carrying twenty-eight Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. Supporting this mission was booster B1067, flying for a thirty-third time and landing downrange on the drone ship 'A Shortfall Of Gravitas'.
February 24th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 6-110
Twenty-nine more Starlink satellites were placed into low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 via a Falcon 9. Booster B1092 supported this launch for its tenth flight, landing on the drone ship 'Just Read The Instructions' downrange.
February 25th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-26
From Space Launch Complex 4E, in California, twenty-five Starlink satellites were launched atop of a Falcon 9 and sent into low Earth orbit. Supporting this mission was booster B1093, flying for an eleventh time and landing downrange on the drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You'.
February 27th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 6-108
Another twenty-nine Starlink satellites were delivered to low Earth orbit by a Falcon 9 flying from Space Launch Complex 40. Booster B1069 supported this launch for its thirtieth flight, landing on the drone ship 'A Shortfall Of Gravitas' downrange.
February 28th - Electron for 'That's Not a Knife'
For the final February launch, Rocket Lab flew on a suborbital path with its Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE), carrying Hypersonix's 'DART AE'. The launch tested out 'DART AE' for the first time as well as its hydrogen scramjet engine.
Launches to look out for in March!
March will continue the new year for worldwide launches. Listed below are all of the launches expected or likely to happen next month, launches on the 1st of March may have already occurred due to when this newsletter is published.
March 1st - Alpha for 'Stairway To Seven'
Firefly Aerospace's Alpha is expected to fly for the seventh time out of the Vandenberg Space Force Base, in California, to verify upgrades to the vehicle while being a return to flight mission.
March 1st - KAIROS with four satellites
Japanese company Space One is hoping to finally have its KAIROS launch vehicle reach orbit with four satellites set to be aboard its third flight, out of Space Port Kii, in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.
March 1st - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-23
SpaceX is preparing to launch a group of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit out of Space Launch Complex 4E atop of Falcon 9.
March 2nd - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 10-41
More Starlink satellites will be launched via a Falcon 9 to low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40.
March 4th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 10-40
Another Falcon 9 is expected to fly out of Space Launch Complex 40 and into low Earth orbit carrying a group of Starlink satellites.
March 4th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-18
Yet more Starlink satellites will be placed into low Earth orbit with a launch out of Space Launch Complex 4E by a Falcon 9.
March 8th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-31
Falcon 9 will fly again to carry even more Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit, from Space Launch Complex 4E.
March 10th - Falcon 9 with EchoStar XXV
Falcon 9 is set to head towards the geostationary transfer orbit carrying the EchoStar XXV broadcast satellite on behalf of DISH Network.
March 12th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-24
Even more Starlink satellites will again be placed into low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4E via Falcon 9.
March 12th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 10-48
Falcon 9 will again fly into low Earth orbit with a batch of Starlink satellites departing Space Launch Complex 40.
March 19th - Spectrum for 'Onward and Upward'
Isar Aerospace is preparing to fly from Andรธya Spaceport in Norway for its second demonstration flight, following its failed first in March 2025.
March 22nd - Soyuz 2.1a with Progress MS-33
A Soyuz 2.1a will fly from a repaired Site 31 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome to send the Progress MS-33 resupply spacecraft toward the International Space Station.
March 24th - Electron for 'Daughter Of The Stars'
Rocket Lab's Electron rocket is set to carry two Celeste Positioning, Navigation and Timing demonstration satellites into polar orbit on behalf of the European Space Agency from the company's launch site on the Mฤhia Peninsula in New Zealand.
