The Proton-M rollout at Baikonur was expected to begin at approximately 06:30 local time (about 01:30 UTC) on February 9, 2026.

A rocket is on a launch pad.

Electro-L №5 is a meteorological satellite.

A Proton-M rocket carrying the Electro-L №5 meteorological satellite was installed on the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on February 9, 2026.

The Proton-M launch carrying Electro-L №5 is scheduled for February 12, 2026 at 13:52:15 local time (08:52:15 UTC).

Ivan Timoshenko provided photos for Roscosmos.

A Roscosmos rollout video is dated February 9, 2026.

The launch vehicle shown in the Roscosmos rollout video displays the Roscosmos logo on its side.

SpaceX plans to strive to build a Mars city and begin doing so in about 5 to 7 years.

Launches to the Moon are possible about every 10 days with roughly two-day transit times.

Mars and Earth align for optimal travel every 26 months, enabling approximately six-month transit times to Mars.

SpaceX’s mission is to extend consciousness and life as we know it to the stars.

Faster launch cadence and shorter transit times to the Moon allow faster iteration toward completing a Moon city than a Mars city.

SpaceX estimates building a city on Mars would take more than 20 years.

SpaceX prioritizes securing the future of civilization and considers the Moon a faster path to that goal.

SpaceX has shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon that the company believes can be achieved in less than 10 years.

The ₹6,375.92 crore capital expenditure allocation is more than ₹1,000 crore higher than the revised estimates of the previous fiscal year.

The 2026–2027 budget includes cash support routed through IN-SPACe for India’s Human Spaceflight Centre.

GlobalData’s report projects India’s cumulative defense spending will reach $543.1 billion from 2026 to 2030.

The 2026–2027 space budget for India totals ₹13,705.63 crore.

GlobalData expects India’s cumulative defense spending to grow further by the end of 2031 given the rise in spending under the FY27 budget.

The 2026–2027 space budget opens opportunities for greater private-sector involvement in India’s space sector and signals a transition from preparatory planning to the hardware build phase.

The 2026–2027 space budget represents a 2.1% increase over the previous year’s budget estimate.

NewSpace India Limited’s internal and extra-budgetary resources (IEBR) are projected to rise to ₹1,403 crore from ₹1,030 crore under the new budget.

India’s Ministry of Defence has historically used a No-Cost-No-Commitment (NCNC) approach for component development contracts, which has limited private-sector participation in defense R&D.

India increased its space-related budget for 2026–2027 to $1.64 billion directed to the Department of Space.

The Indian government expects NewSpace India Limited to drive revenue through private-sector production and technology transfers.

The structure of India’s 2026–2027 space spending prioritizes readiness for human spaceflight, expansion of Earth observation, and expansion of Earth observation services for climate and security.

The Indian Ministry of Defence is actively considering scrapping the NCNC procedure, a change expected to ease private-sector concerns about return on investment and encourage independent R&D.

The new budget is expected to create significant opportunities for private-sector companies in India’s domestic defense manufacturing space and to direct much spending toward domestic procurement.

The 2026–2027 budget provides fresh support routed through schemes under IN-SPACe to facilitate deeper private-sector integration in launch vehicle and satellite projects.

India allocated ₹6,375.92 crore ($750 million) to capital expenditure in the 2026–2027 space budget.

Industry leaders identified several indirect triggers in the new budget intended to accelerate the domestic private space ecosystem.

In January 2026 the U.S. Space Force launched its Maneuverable GEO competition.

NASA and DARPA are prototyping a lunar positioning, navigation, and timing system often described as a "Moon-GPS".

Market data from early 2026 shows the "Others" category, including deep-space probes, cislunar modules, and highly elliptical orbit satellites, was the fastest-growing market segment, expanding at over 10% annually.

Starfish Space and Northrop Grumman are providing life-extension services in GEO by docking propulsion-equipped spacecraft to satellites to restore maneuverability.

Europe’s IRIS² constellation is being deployed as a multi-orbit system in LEO and MEO to provide sovereign secure communications.

Cislunar space spans roughly the 238,000-mile gap between Earth and the Moon.

Dozens of commercial landers from companies such as Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic are scheduled to launch to the Moon in 2026.

For decades geostationary orbit hosted large satellites that typically remained in a fixed slot for about 15 years.

Technologies are being developed to create multi-orbit mesh networks that enable communications and interoperability across LEO, MEO, GEO, and cislunar assets.

The Maneuverable GEO effort aims to replace fixed geostationary satellites with small, agile commercial satellites that can drift between orbital slots to provide surge coverage or avoid debris.

Cislunar space, the region between Earth and the Moon, was the fastest-growing sector of orbital activity in 2026.

In January 2026 the Space Force Vice Chief of Operations challenged industry to extend Space Domain Awareness and navigation capabilities to the lunar surface.

The Proton-M rollout at the launch complex is expected to begin at approximately 06:30 local time on February 9, 2026, which is approximately 01:30 UTC.

A Proton-M launch from Baikonur is scheduled for February 12, 2026.

The state commission approved the Proton-M for rollout at the launch complex on February 9, 2026.

OHB founded the European Spaceport Company in November 2025 to consolidate its existing terrestrial launch infrastructure projects.

OHB established a new subsidiary, the European Moonport Company, on 4 February to consolidate its efforts related to future missions to the Moon.