NET 2029 — Launch Tianwen-3 to Jupiter
2029-01-01 | Wenchang Space Launch Center, ~19°N, Hainan Island, China
NET 2029 — China planning to launch its first probe to Jupiter this year with the Tianwen-3.

62nd Anniversary of Apollo 1 Loss
2029-01-27 | Nationwide USA
Increasing space awareness and education, remembrances and events honor three Apollo 1 crew members lost in 1967 during a launch pad test: Command Pilot Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward H. White and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee.

43rd Anniversary: Loss of Challenger STS-51L
2029-01-28 | Nationwide USA
Educational and ceremonial events held worldwide to advance space technology / education and honor 7 crew members killed in Shuttle accident 28 January 1986: Commander Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Astronaut Christa McAuliffe (the 1st ‘Teacher in Space’), Mission Specialists Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnick and Ronald E. McNair, along with Payload Specialist Gregory B. Jarvis.

26th Anniversary: Loss of Columbia STS-107
2029-02-01 | Nationwide USA
Annual international conferences and events take place to further space exploration efforts in remembrance of Columbia 7 loss in 2003: Commander Richard D. Husband, Mission Specialist Laurel Clark, Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon (the ‘1st Israeli astronaut’) and Astronauts: William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown and Kalpana Chawla (the ‘1st Indian American astronaut’ and ‘1st Indian woman in space’).

INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) to Reenter Earth Atomsphere
2029-02-01 | Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
NET Feb — INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) space telescope will burn up upon Earth atmosphere reentry this month due to natural orbit decay after running out of fuel reserves / end of science mission in early 2020s; launched Oct 2002.

Lunar New Year
2029-02-13 | China (Zhongguo) / Worldwide
Lunar New Year 2029 Spring Festival marks the Year of the Rooster.

NET Apr — BepiColombo Spacecraft End of Extended Mission
2029-04-01 | Mercury Orbit
NET Apr — European Space Agency / JAXA Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (BepiColombo) end of extended mission, 9.98 Mercury years after orbit insertion; potential extension of mission or de-orbit plans TBD.

Pōwehi Day
2029-04-10 | 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.

Yuri’s Night Celebrations
2029-04-12 | Worldwide
Launching parties around the world every year on or around April 12th, in commemoration of Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human to venture into space on April 12, 1961, and the inaugural launch of the first Space Shuttle on April 12, 1981. We use space to bring the world together, to empower the greatest parts of who we are, and give vision to where we are going.
Yuri’s Night was inaugurated April 12, 2001.

68th Anniversary of the First Person in Space "Cosmonautics Day"
2029-04-12 | Worldwide
Celebrating Yuri Gagarin, the 1st human to orbit Earth on Vostok 1 spacecraft in 1961; the flight lasted 108 minutes at 27,400 kph and 327 km above Earth.

Asteroid 99942 Apophis to Fly by Earth
2029-04-13 | Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
On this day, which happens to be a Friday, 370-meter diameter asteroid (previously known as 2004 MN4) will narrowly miss Earth by about 30,000 km, which is classified as Medium Earth Orbit (2,000 – 35,786 km).

OSIRIS-APEX to Rendezvous with Asteroid 99942 Apophis
2029-04-21 | Asteroid 99942 Apophis Orbit
OSIRIS-APophis EXplorer (OSIRIS-APEX) is planned rendezvous with and orbit asteroid Apophis starting today for 9 months following the asteroid’s close Earth approach which occurred April 13, 2029; craft previously known as Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) which returned samples from asteroid Bennu to Earth on Sep 24, 2023.

National Day of Space Flight
2029-04-24 | China (Zhongguo)
Commemorating the launch of China’s first satellite, Dongfanghong-1 on April 24, 1970.

International Space Day
2029-05-04 | Worldwide
First Friday in May, events and presentations to promote STEM education and inspire people to continue the work of Space explorers; originally began as ‘National Space Day’ in 1997 by Lockheed Martin Corp.

Tiangong Space Station: 7 Years of Continuous Human Occupation
2029-06-05 | Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Today marks 7th full year / starts 8th year of continuous Human occupation of TSS; Shenzhou 14 three-member crew launched on this day in 2022, beginning occupation.

18 Years in Lunar Orbit: ARTEMIS P1 Satellite
2029-06-27 | Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange point
NASA ARTEMIS P1 craft surpasses another year in lunar orbit since 2011; it was 1 of 5 satellites launched 2007 to study Earth magnetosphere.

NET July — Chang’E-2 to come within 7M km of Earth
2029-07-01 | Deep Space
NET July — China Chang’E-2 spacecraft expected to come within 7M km of Earth around this date after reaching 300M km apogee; craft was launched 1 October 2010.

18 Years in Lunar Orbit: ARTEMIS P2 Satellite
2029-07-17 | Earth-Moon L1 Lagrange point
NASA ARTEMIS P2 craft surpasses another full year in lunar orbit since 2011; 1 of 5 satellites launched 2007 to study Earth magnetosphere

53rd Anniversary: First-Ever Landing on Mars (Viking 1)
2029-07-20 | Nationwide USA
First USA spacecraft to successfully land on another planet commemorated today for its accomplishment 53 years ago; originally scheduled for July 4, landing was delayed until this day in 1976 due to rough landing site.

60th Anniversary of Apollo 11: First-Ever Crewed Lunar Landing
2029-07-20 | Global / Inter-Global
First human mission to land on Moon in 1969; 1st steps by humans on another World taken by Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin; Command Module piloted by Michael Collins.

International Moon Day (Annual)
2029-07-20 | 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.

11 Years in Space: Parker Solar Probe
2029-08-12 | 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.

43rd Annual Small Satellite Conference
2029-08-12 - 2029-08-15 | Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City UT, USA, 100 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT, 84101, United States

6th Anniversary: India's First Lunar Landing (Chandrayaan-3)
2029-08-23 | 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.

17 Years in Space: Van Allen Probes
2029-08-30 | 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.

6th Year in Space: X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM)
2029-09-06 | Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
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.

15 Years in Mars Orbit: Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN)
2029-09-21 | Mars Orbit
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.

14 Years in Space: India's Astrosat
2029-09-28 | Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) first dedicated multi-wavelength space observatory surpasses another full year in space today, launched 2015.

NET Oct — Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) to Fly by Asteroid 223 Rosa
2029-10-01 | Jupiter Trajectory
NET Oct — ESA Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) expected to perform flyby of Asteroid 223 Rosa this month, arriving at Jupiter in 2031.

72nd Anniversary: First-Ever Satellite Launched to Space (Sputnik 1)
2029-10-04 | Worldwide
In 1957 the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik 1 mission which became the first artificial Earth satellite and launched humankind into the Space Age. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October.

Size and Weight: It was a metal sphere about 23 inches (58 cm) wide, roughly the size of a beach ball, and weighed 184 pounds (83.6 kg).

Orbit Time: It took about 96 to 98 minutes to complete one full trip around the Earth.

Mission: It sent simple radio beep signals back to Earth for three weeks before its batteries died.

End of Life: It stayed in orbit for three months and burned up when it fell back into Earth’s atmosphere on January 4, 1958.
