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.

(CNN) — Here’s a look at the first moon landing on July 20, 1969. The moon landing was watched by an estimated 600 million people around the world. July 20, 1969 – [4:17 p.m. EDT] Apollo 11 becomes the first manned spacecraft to land on the moon.

The return to the moon story that will dominate the first quarter of 2026 will be the Artemis II mission that will take four astronauts around the moon. The flight will test systems on the Orion spacecraft in deep space with human beings on board. The first human mission to deep space since Apollo 17 will lead to the Artemis III moon landing.

A growing fleet of privately built spacecraft is preparing to attempt robotic landings on the moon as humanity's exploration efforts expand.