NASA this week set live-coverage plans for Artemis II and unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its lunar and deep-space strategy. The agency published a schedule of briefings and livestreams ahead of a crewed Artemis II test flight targeted no earlier than April 1, 2026 (two-hour window opening 6:24 p.m. EDT, with opportunities through April 6). The four-person crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen — will fly on an Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System for an ~10-day lunar flyby; prelaunch activity will stream on NASA+, YouTube and agency channels. Days earlier, at an “Ignition” event on March 24, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced pausing the Lunar Gateway in favor of a $20 billion, three-phase surface Moon base program that repurposes Gateway hardware and seeks a faster cadence of landings (annual then twice-yearly after Artemis V). The agency also unveiled plans for Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom, a nuclear-electric spacecraft aimed at delivering Skyfall rotorcraft to Mars as early as 2028. The shift raises questions about international partner roles, contractor workloads and regulatory steps for space nuclear hardware.

Democrat Emily Gregory won a March special election to represent Florida’s 87th State House District — the district that includes President Donald Trump’s Mar‑a‑Lago estate — defeating Trump‑endorsed Republican Jon Maples by about 2.4 percentage points (roughly 797 votes). Gregory, a first‑time candidate and small‑business owner who campaigned on affordability, health care and insurance costs, will take a seat in a GOP‑dominated legislature but her victory is symbolic. Democrats also narrowly flipped a Tampa‑area state Senate seat (Brian Nathan) in the same round. The wins are the latest in a string of special and off‑cycle victories that analysts and Democratic organisers say total nearly 30 state legislative flips since early 2025, while Republicans have struggled to capture Democratic seats in this period. Republicans have largely brushed off the results as special‑election anomalies, but some GOP lawmakers privately warn that aggressive redistricting plans — including a Florida special session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April to redraw maps — could make some incumbent seats more vulnerable rather than safer.

On March 25, 2026, Dame Sarah Mullally was formally enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral as the Church of England’s first female Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the 106th holder of a role that is also spiritual head of the global Anglican Communion. The 63-year-old former nurse and ex-chief nursing officer for England took her seat on the ancient Chair of St Augustine before about 2,000 guests including the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and senior faith leaders. The 90-minute service — which began with the traditional three knocks at the west door and included vows sworn on the St John’s Bible, multilingual readings and contributions from the “Africa Six” — mixed centuries-old ritual with intentional symbolism. Mullally acknowledged past safeguarding failures that precipitated her predecessor Justin Welby’s 2024 resignation and pledged commitment to victims, trauma-informed practice and justice. Her appointment has drawn both wide celebration and dissent from conservative provinces and groupings such as Gafcon and some African primates, underscoring ongoing tensions over women’s leadership and sexuality within the Communion.

Denmark’s snap election on March 24-25 left Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen politically weakened despite her Social Democrats remaining the largest party. The Social Democrats fell to 38 seats in the 179-seat Folketing — their worst result since 1903 — with the left‑wing “red” bloc taking 84 seats against 77 for the right. Centrist Moderates led by former premier Lars Løkke Rasmussen won 14 seats and hold the balance of power. Frederiksen submitted her government’s resignation and was asked by King Frederik X to explore forming a new government with the Green Left and the Social Liberal Party, but would need further partners, likely including the Moderates, to reach the 90‑seat majority. Domestic issues — cost of living, welfare, migration, environment and agricultural disputes — drove the vote more than foreign policy, though the row with US President Donald Trump over Greenland and a surge in support for Greenland’s pro‑independence Naleraq (which won representation in Copenhagen) framed broader constitutional and Arctic defence questions. Coalition negotiations are expected to be lengthy and complex.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is preparing to file an initial public offering prospectus with U.S. regulators as soon as this week or next, multiple reports said, kicking off a surge in publicly traded space and defense-related stocks. Advisers cited by The Information and other outlets said SpaceX could seek to raise more than $75 billion and target a valuation in the region of $1.5–1.75 trillion, with a possible June debut. The firm has explored a Nasdaq listing, structures that would allocate a significant retail tranche and mechanisms to preserve founder control. SpaceX’s recent acquisition of Musk’s xAI and the growth of its Starlink satellite broadband business — estimated by some analysts to have generated roughly $15–16 billion in 2025 — underpin higher valuation expectations. The near-term filing reports fuelled rallies in names such as Rocket Lab, Planet Labs, Sidus Space and AST SpaceMobile, with Rocket Lab rising about 10% in US trading. SpaceX and regulators had no immediate public comment. If confirmed, the offering would rank among the largest in history and reshape investor attention toward commercial space infrastructure and related suppliers.