Observation / Anniversary

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

Japan's X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), studying galactic plasma, surpasses another full year in space today at ~550-km LEO, having launched 2023.

NASA Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft surpasses another full year of operations in Mars orbit after insertion on this day 2014; continuing to study upper atmosphere.

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

NASA spacecraft mapping boundary between the Solar System and interstellar space surpasses another full year in space; launched on this day 2008.

European Space Agency / JAXA Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (dubbed Mio ‘waterway or fairway’) surpasses another full year in space today, launched 2018; expected to reach Mercury polar orbit in Nov 2026 to map planet, investigate magnetosphere.

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.

NASA craft imaging Sun and solar phenomena surpasses another full year in space today; launched 2006.

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.