2026 marks the moment space shifts from exploration to infrastructure. From private space stations and lunar logistics to orbital manufacturing, quantum communications, and space-based energy, this ZEN Weekly deep dive maps the systems, missions, and second-order effects shaping humanity’s next operational frontier.

2026 marks a decisive shift from speculation to deployment. AI moves from tools to autonomous agents, robotics leaves the lab for factories and homes, and crypto hardens into financial infrastructure. Yet this acceleration collides with labor displacement, fragile safety nets, and misaligned systems. The year ahead belongs to those who can frame problems, orchestrate systems, and govern outcomes, not merely execute tasks.