From February to April this year, the United States will carry out the Artemis 2 mission at an appropriate time, sending four astronauts into lunar orbit and safely returning to Earth. This will be the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 that human astronauts have returned to lunar orbit. The latest launch window for this mission will open on February 6th, marking the beginning of a new global wave of lunar exploration. This wave of lunar exploration fever presents a new pattern of "multi-national cooperation and competition coexisting", and multiple countries and institutions such as China, the European Space Agency, and American commercial space companies will carry out intensive lunar exploration related missions this year. When lunar exploration is no longer a one-man show for a single country, the success of each mission will have milestone significance: it will not only elevate human understanding of the moon to a new height, but also promote human progress from lunar exploration to lunar residency and development. Perhaps one day, when Earthlings look back at 2026 from a lunar base, they will discover that this year marks the true beginning of humanity's' lunar era '. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the launch window for the US Artemis 2 lunar rocket will open on February 6th this year and continue until February 11th (with launch windows in March and April as well), and is currently in the final preparation stage of the mission. By 2026, multiple countries around the world will carry out lunar exploration missions. These lunar exploration plans exhibit two significant trends: one is "seeking breakthroughs in competition", and the other is "cooperating for the development of the Communist Party of China". This indicates that all countries have realized the extremely high difficulty and cost of lunar exploration, and only through international cooperation can a win-win situation be achieved. One day, when humans establish a permanent base on the moon, looking back at 2026, we will find that this year is the true beginning of the human "lunar era" - from this year on, we have taken solid steps to conquer the moon, no longer just observing it from afar. Due to various factors such as technology and weather, the launch time of some lunar exploration missions may be adjusted. However, in any case, 2026 will be a colorful year in the history of human spaceflight, and the smooth implementation of these lunar exploration missions will witness a new miracle in human exploration of the universe. The Artemis 2 mission, consisting of four people and taking 10 days to complete, is the core of the US lunar exploration mission. Through this program, NASA will send astronauts to the moon for scientific discoveries and economic activities, laying the foundation for the first manned mission to Mars. From February to April this year, the United States will choose an opportunity to carry out the Artemis 2 mission, sending four astronauts into lunar orbit and safely returning to Earth. This will be the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 that human astronauts have returned to lunar orbit. The mission will use the "Space Launch System" heavy carrier rocket to launch the "Orion" manned spacecraft. The "Space Launch System," primarily developed by Boeing, is currently one of the world's most powerful launch vehicles, specifically designed for deep space exploration. It is about 98 meters high, 8.4 meters in diameter, weighs about 2500 tons, has a takeoff thrust of 3810 tons, and has a ground to moon transfer orbit carrying capacity of over 27 tons. The Orion spacecraft was developed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in the United States, with a launch mass of approximately 21.9 tons and the ability to provide long-term survival for astronauts in deep space environments. Among them, the spacecraft crew cabin developed by Lockheed Martin has a diameter of 5.03 meters, a height of 3.3 meters, a launch mass of about 8.9 tons, a sealed cabin volume of about 9.3 cubic meters, and can accommodate 4 astronauts; The spacecraft service module is developed by Airbus in Europe, with a diameter of 4.5 meters, a height of 6.7 meters, and a launch mass of approximately 13 tons. The spacecraft is equipped with an advanced cyclic environmental control and life support system, which can support up to 21 days of autonomous flight for four astronauts. The communication and navigation system of the spacecraft, as well as the ablative heat shield capable of withstanding re-entry temperatures of approximately 2760 ℃, will be used together to verify its deep space manned capability. The Artemis 2 mission has a duration of approximately 10 days, with one Canadian astronaut among the four astronauts and one American astronaut being the world's first female to participate in a lunar orbit. They will complete a series of key tests: first, test the "Orion" life support system, including removing carbon dioxide and water vapor produced by astronaut respiration, and verifying system stability under different states of astronaut movement (highest metabolic rate) and sleep (lowest metabolic rate); Secondly, test the navigation, communication, and attitude control capabilities of the spacecraft in deep space environments. This is because the lunar orbit is far away from Earth, and the space radiation environment has a significant impact on the spacecraft system; In addition, technologies such as high-speed re-entry, radiation protection, and lunar orbital maneuvering need to be tested. Artemis 2 is a lunar orbit mission, and astronauts do not land on the surface of the moon. If this mission is successful and verifies the reliability of the spacecraft system in a manned state, it can lay an important foundation for the Artemis 3 manned lunar landing mission in 2028. Commercial space exploration is preparing for manned lunar landing. This year, four more commercial space companies in the United States will carry out commercial lunar exploration missions, covering key areas such as the South Pole and the far side of the moon. These commercial lunar exploration missions, together with the Artemis 2 mission, will form a dual line propulsion pattern of "manned+unmanned" and "official+commercial" US lunar exploration missions, with the goal of clearing obstacles for manned lunar missions around 2028. Blue Origin plans to carry out the Blue Moon Pathfinder Mission 1 at the beginning of this year. This is the company's first attempt at lunar detection, with the goal of providing technical validation for the design of the Blue Moon Mark 1 cargo lander. The mission will also carry various scientific payloads, focusing on exploring the terrain, landforms, and resource distribution of the South Pole of the Moon, accumulating data for the development of manned lunar landing vehicles in the future. One of the payloads is NASA's "Lunar Feather Surface Research Stereo Camera", specifically designed to observe the erosion effect of rocket engine plumes on the lunar surface during landing. Blue Origin is also the main contractor for NASA's Human Landing System, and its Blue Moon lander program aims to send astronauts to the moon within 10 years, making this mission a critical exercise. However, due to the extremely high difficulty of lunar landing technology, it is still unknown whether Blue Origin, as a newcomer to lunar exploration, can succeed in one attempt. Intuitive Robotics will carry out the IM-3 mission, with the goal of landing the lander in the Reiner Gamma region of the Mare Imbrium on the near side of the Moon. The company had made two attempts to land on the moon before, but the lander eventually overturned. They hope to make a breakthrough this time. The Reiner Gamma region is a special area on the moon with strong magnetic field anomalies, known as the "magnetic island of the moon". IM-3 will continue to use the Nova C lander, carrying a variety of scientific instruments including magnetometers, lunar soil analysis equipment, and plasma detection equipment. If a smooth landing can be successfully achieved this time, it will mark the company's official mastery of lunar landing technology. Firefly Aerospace Corporation of the United States has successfully landed the Blue Ghost 1 mission in the Mare Imbrium of the Moon in early 2025, becoming the first commercial company to successfully land on the moon. At the end of this year, the company will carry out the more challenging Blue Ghost 2 mission, with the goal of landing the lander on the far side of the moon, which is the first time for a commercial company. The lander carried by this mission will operate for about 10 days after landing on the far side of the moon, carrying out tasks such as lunar soil analysis and radio astronomy observations. In 10 days, the lander will turn off its power to avoid interfering with the operation of the "Lunar Surface Electromagnetic Experiment Night" radio telescope it is carrying. The telescope will operate continuously on the far side of the moon for two years, taking advantage of the absence of electromagnetic interference from Earth to observe early radio signals in the universe. In addition, the United Arab Emirates' Rashid 2 lunar rover will also be sent to the lunar surface through the Blue Ghost 2 for joint exploration. This is also an important attempt at international cooperation in commercial aerospace. In July of this year, the American space robotics company will implement the Griffin Mission 1 program. The lander will land on Nobier Crater near the South Pole of the Moon. Its lander is equipped with the "Flexible Lunar In Situ Propulsion Four Wheel Lunar Rover" developed by StarLab, weighing approximately 450 kilograms. This is a technology validator, and the core technology tested will be used for larger "flexible logistics and lunar exploration vehicles" in the future. The "Cube Lunar Rover", also carried on the lander, was independently developed by the Space Robotics Company with the goal of becoming a "manned mobile tool" for future lunar bases. The European "Lunar Pathfinder" focuses on lunar communication and navigation. With the increasing number of lunar exploration missions in various countries, the demand for lunar orbit and surface communication is growing. Without a stable communication network, subsequent exploration missions will be difficult to carry out. This year, although the European Space Agency has no plans to directly carry out lunar exploration, it has focused on the construction of lunar communication infrastructure and will deploy the "Lunar Pathfinder" relay satellite in conjunction with the Blue Ghost 2 mission of the American Firefly Space Company. The "Lunar Pathfinder" relay satellite was developed by the European Space Agency and will be launched into lunar orbit by Firefly Space's "Coleopter" orbital transfer vehicle. It will serve as a lunar communication relay station, building a communication bridge between lunar surface probes (such as the Blue Ghost 2 lander) and Earth, solving the problem of direct communication on the far side of the moon. In addition, the lunar relay satellite will also test lunar navigation related technologies to accumulate experience for establishing a lunar navigation satellite system. The long-term goal of the European Space Agency is to establish a lunar communication and navigation service system, which is planned to be fully operational after 2028. The system consists of multiple satellites and can provide continuous communication and navigation services for lunar surface probes, lunar rovers, and future lunar bases, just like the GPS system on Earth, which is the basic guarantee for future lunar exploration and manned residency. In addition, the European Space Agency is also advancing the launch plan of the "Planetary Transit and Stellar Vibration Observation Satellite". Although the main goal of the satellite is to search for exoplanets (similar to Earth's "super Earths"), it will utilize the space environment near the lunar orbit for observation, as the lunar orbit can effectively shield the electromagnetic interference of Earth, making satellite observations more accurate. This also indirectly indicates that the moon has become a "natural platform" for human deep space exploration. Japan's "Mars Satellite Exploration" aims at deep space through the moon with the strategy of "aiming at deep space through the moon". Although the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency does not directly carry out lunar exploration activities this year, the planned Mars satellite exploration mission will use the gravitational slingshot effect of the lunar orbit to accelerate and fly towards Mars' largest satellite, "Phobos". The technology of this mission is of the same origin as lunar exploration and can accumulate experience for Japan's subsequent lunar exploration. The Mars satellite exploration mission will conduct one to two landings on Phobos and collect samples to bring back to Earth, marking the first attempt by humans to bring back samples from a Mars satellite. During its flight to Mars, it will pass near the lunar orbit and use the moon's gravity to adjust its orbit and accelerate, saving fuel consumption. In addition, the landing technology, sample collection technology, and deep space communication technology used in Mars satellite exploration missions can be directly applied to lunar exploration missions in the future. In addition, Japan is also advancing the research and development of lunar navigation satellite systems. The system is similar to the European Space Agency's lunar communication and navigation service system, and will provide navigation services for lunar surface probes and future lunar bases. It is planned to be put into use from 2028 to 2029. (New Society)