I just poured my second cup of coffee, opened the global launch manifest, and honestly, I had to blink twice. If you thought January was busy, February 2026 is shaping up to be an absolute traffic jam in low Earth orbit.
We are looking at everything from secretive space planes and human crew missions to the heavy-lifting giants of ULA and Ariane fighting for dominance. It feels like every major spaceport on the planet is active this month.
I’ve broken down the chaos below, but first, I want to highlight the missions that I’m personally setting my alarm for.
The Mystery of the “Divine Dragon”
The most intriguing launch on my radar is happening this Saturday, February 7th. China is launching its Reusable Space Vehicle (often nicknamed “Shenlong” or Divine Dragon) on a Long March 2F/G.
Why do I care? Because this is basically the sibling rival to the US Air Force’s X-37B. It’s highly classified. We don’t know exactly what it looks like, we don’t know what it’s carrying, and we don’t know how long it will stay up there. It launches, orbits, and then lands on a runway like an airplane. The secrecy around this mission always gives me chills—it reminds me that the space race has evolved from “flags and footprints” to high-tech orbital maneuvers.
Humans Returning to Orbit: Crew-12
Just a few days later, on Wednesday, February 11th, SpaceX is doing what it does best: sending astronauts to space. The Crew-12 mission is set to lift off from Florida.
Even though Falcon 9 launches feel routine now, I never get tired of watching a crewed launch. There is a different energy in the control room and a different tension in the air when there are heartbeats on board. This mission keeps the ISS fully staffed and operational.
The Heavyweight Championship: Vulcan vs. Ariane 6
This is where the engineering nerd in me gets excited. We have two massive launches back-to-back:
USSF-87 (Feb 12): ULA is launching a Vulcan rocket for the US Space Force. This is a critical national security mission.Amazon Leo (Feb 12): On the very same day, Arianespace is launching an Ariane 64.
It is rare to see two heavy-lift vehicles from different continents launching within hours of each other. It really shows how competitive the launch market has become.
📅 February 2026 Space Launch Calendar
I’ve compiled the schedule below so you can track the madness. Please remember, spaceflight is tricky—dates and times often slip due to weather or technical gremlins. All times are listed in GMT+3 (Istanbul time).
What I’m Keep My Eye On
Looking at the “TBD” (To Be Determined) list at the bottom, the New Glenn launch catches my eye. Blue Origin has been working on this massive rocket for years. If they manage to launch the BlueBird Block 2 this month, it will be a historic moment for Jeff Bezos’s space ambitions.
Also, don’t sleep on the Firefly Alpha launch on the 14th. The small satellite market is brutal, and Firefly needs to prove consistency.
It is going to be a loud month. I’ll be updating my Twitter feed as these launches happen, especially if we get any visuals on that Chinese space plane.
Which mission excites you the most: The mystery of the Chinese space plane, the human drama of Crew-12, or the heavy metal power of Vulcan and Ariane?
