• 13 Years at Mars: ExoMars 2016 Orbiter

    Mars Orbit

    European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos spacecraft surpasses another full year at Mars, launched 2016; craft continues collecting data on atmosphere, deployed Schiaparelli demonstration lander 19 Oct 2016 (unsuccessful).

  • 28 Years in Mars Orbit: Mars Odyssey

    Mars Orbit

    NASA spacecraft surpasses another full year in orbit around Mars today, holds record for longest-surviving continually active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth; launched 2001.

  • 25 Years in Space: Swift Spacecraft

    Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

    Observing gamma-ray bursts & their afterglows in gamma-ray, X-ray, ultraviolet, optical wavelengths from LEO, multiwavelength craft surpasses another year of operations in space today, launched in 2004.

  • 34 Years in Space: Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)

    Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

    European Space Agency (ESA) / National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) craft studying sun, surpasses another full year of operations in space today, launched 1995; discovered more than 3,000 comets.

  • 15 Years in Space: Japan’s Hayabusa 2

    Asteroid 98943 Torifune Trajectory

    Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Hayabusa surpasses another full year in space today; launched Dec 3, 2014, returned samples to Earth in 2020, and now in extended mission to flyby asteroid 98943 Torifune in 2026 and rendezvous with 1998 KY26 in 2031.

  • 30 Years in Space: XMM-Newton

    Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

    European Space Agency (ESA) craft in Very Eccentric Elliptical LEO studying X-ray emissions, star-forming regions, galaxy clusters, environment of supermassive black holes, mapping dark matter, surpasses next full year in space today, launched 1999.

  • 20 Years in Space: WISE / NEOWISE

    Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

    NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer spacecraft (redubbed Near-Earth Object WISE – NEOWISE) surpasses another full year in space today; launched 2009, went into hibernation February 17, 2011 and reactivated August 21, 2013.

  • 16 Years in Space: Gaia Spacecraft

    Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point

    ESA spacecraft surpasses another full year in space today; now in extended mission phase working to map more than 1 billion stars; launched in 2013.

  • 26 Years in Mars Orbit: ESA’s Mars Express

    Mars Orbit

    ESA spacecraft surpasses next full year in Mars orbit today; will continue to study Mars atmosphere & climate, planet structure, mineralogy, geology, and to search for traces of water; launched June 2, 2003 and arrived at Mars in Dec 2003.

  • 8 Years in Space: James Webb Space Telescope

    Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point

    NASA (STSci) / ESA / CSA infrared astronomy telescope surpasses next full year in space since launching on this day via Ariane 5 ECA rocket in 2021.

  • Pōwehi Day

    Statewide Hawai’i, USA

    Recognized proclamation to celebrate the first-ever imaged black hole M87* by Event Horizon Telescope collaboration involving Mauna Kea Observatories, given the Hawaiian name Pōwehi; imaged in April 2017 and released Apr 10, 2019.

  • National Day of Space Flight

    China (Zhongguo)

    Commemorating the launch of China’s first satellite, Dongfanghong-1 on April 24, 1970.

  • 54th Anniversary: First-Ever Landing on Mars (Viking 1)

    Nationwide USA

    First USA spacecraft to successfully land on another planet commemorated today for its accomplishment 54 years ago; originally scheduled for July 4, landing was delayed until this day in 1976 due to rough landing site.

  • International Moon Day (Annual)

    Global / Inter-Global

    Celebrating the 1st people walking on the Moon / another celestial body – International Moon Day has been a recognized / endorsed declaration by the United Nations since 2022.

  • 12 Years in Space: Parker Solar Probe

    Heliocentric Orbit

    NASA craft surpasses another full year in space today, having launched Aug 12, 2018; probe came within ~6.16M km of the Sun on Dec 24, 2024 which is ~7 times closer than any prior spacecraft, traveling faster than any other human-made object at ~692,000 km/hr.

  • 7th Anniversary: India’s First Lunar Landing (Chandrayaan-3)

    Statio Shiv Shakti, 69.373°S 32.319°E, Moon Surface

    Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander and Pragyan rover celebrated today after successfully landing on Moon in 2023; marking India as the 4th country to land on Moon, and 1st near the Moon South Pole.

  • 18 Years in Space: Van Allen Probes

    Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

    NASA spacecraft surpasses another full year in space today, launched 2012; adding to the understanding of Earth radiation belt environment and its variability.

  • 15 Years in Space: India’s Astrosat

    Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

    Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory surpasses another full year in space today, launched 2015.

  • 29 Years in Mars Orbit: Mars Odyssey

    Mars Orbit

    NASA spacecraft surpasses another full year in orbit around Mars today, holds record for longest-surviving continually active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth; launched 2001.

  • 13 Years in Space: Parker Solar Probe

    Heliocentric Orbit

    NASA craft surpasses another full year in space today, having launched Aug 12, 2018; probe came within ~6.16M km of the Sun on Dec 24, 2024 which is ~7 times closer than any prior spacecraft, traveling faster than any other human-made object at ~692,000 km/hr.