• Explorer 1, 69th Observation

    Nationwide USA

    American Artemis Return to the Moon For Good is underway, Mars attention and planning advancing, Outer Solar System search for life ongoing, and Interstellar craft on outgoing trajectories while first USA satellite launch on this day in 1958 ‘Explorer 1’ is celebrated and remembered.

  • Columbia STS-107, 24th Observation

    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 […]

  • Lunar New Year

    China (Zhongguo) / Worldwide

    Lunar New Year 2027 Spring Festival marks the Year of the Goat.

  • 6th Anniversary of Tianwen-1 Orbiter Entering Mars Orbit

    Mars Orbit

    China Tianwen-1 orbiter reaches 6 full years of operations in Mars orbit; Lander & Rover touched down ~3 months after this date at Utopia Planitia 25.1°N, 109.9°E; launched July 2020, reached orbit 2021.

  • 5th Anniversary of Mars Perseverance Rover Landing on Mars

    Mars Surface

    Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover reaches 5 full years on Mars surface having landed in Jezero Crater on this day in 2021; it carried Ingenuity helicopter – the first craft to successfully complete powered flights off-Earth.

  • Intuitive Machines IM-1 Mission, Moon Landing Observation (3rd Year)

    Near Malapert A Crater, 80.13°S 1.44°E, Moon Surface

    Third annual observation of 1st successful commercial lunar landing on Moon by Intuitive Machines and its IM-1 Nova-C Lander "Odysseus". This mission also marks the USA first return to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. IM-1 lander carried 6 NASA and 6 independent payloads to surface, landing near Malapert […]

  • 241st Galactic Tick Day

    Highlighting Galaxy awareness by celebrating the Solar System traveling around Milky Way Galaxy Center every ~225 million Earth years, one Galactic Tick happens every 633.7 days; first Tick Day was one Tick after October 2nd, 1608 when the first telescope patent was filed.

  • 13th Annual Space Traffic Conference

    TBD

    With theme "Turning Conjunctions Into Coordination". Abstracts of up to 500 words will be accepted and must include the precise title of the paper, the topic area of interest, the author’s full name and affiliation, and complete contact information including an email address. The language of the conference is English. […]

  • 58th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC)

    Online

    LPSC is a defining event in planetary research, bringing together a diverse group of international experts in a truly collaborative environment, both online and in-person. The conference location will be announced at a later date. For 58 years, LPSC has been convening the lunar and planetary science community to showcase […]

  • AIAA Defense Forum 2027

    Laurel MD, USA

    17 Disciplines addressed include Space Access and Space Systems.

  • 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.

  • Yuri’s Night Celebrations

    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, […]

  • 42nd Space Symposium

    Colorado Springs CO, USA

    Theme: TBA. Expecting 10,000+ registrants, 240+ exhibitors, 24 space agencies, 1500+ organizations. Access to specific Track Programming ONLY available at less than full-conference fee.

  • Tianwen-2 Departs Kamo’oalewa (2016 HO3)

    Earth Trajectory

    China Tianwen-2 asteroid sample return mission planned to depart Kamo’oalewa (2016 HO3) today and return to Earth with least 100 grams of sample, to enter Earth atmosphere on Nov 29, 2027.

  • National Day of Space Flight

    China (Zhongguo)

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

  • International Space Day

    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.

  • ASCEND 2027: Accelerating Space Commerce, Exploration and New Discovery

    Washington DC, USA

    KEY THEMES ARE: Advancing human spaceflight and microgravity research, Enabling sustainable cislunar and lunar exploration, Defining the Moon-to-Mars pathway and beyond, Shaping space policy and law to enable long-term activity, Finance and innovation across the space economy, New horizons in space infrastructure and services, Cross-cutting technologies, Developing the next generation […]

  • Islamic New Year 1449 AH

    Worldwide

    New Year 1 Muharram (1st day) to begin at sunset on Jun 6; if young New Moon is not visible the beginning of the month and year may be delayed.

  • AIAA Aviation Forum 2027

    San Diego CA, USA

    The only aviation event that covers the entire integrated spectrum of aviation business, research, development and technology. At Manchester Grand Hyatt.

  • Asteroid Day 2027

    Worldwide

    UN-Sanctioned annual, global asteroid awareness program supporting thousands of independently organized events, providing educational resources; held on June 30, the anniversary of the Tunguska event in 1908 when a meteor air burst levelled about 2,150 km² of forest in Siberia, Russia.

  • 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.

  • Viking 1 Mars Lander 51st Landing Observation Anniversary

    Nationwide USA

    First USA spacecraft to successfully land on another planet commemorated today for its accomplishment 51 years ago; originally scheduled for July 4, landing was delayed until this day in 1976 due to rough landing site.

  • Apollo 11, 58th Observation

    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.

  • 28th Anniversary of Chandra X-ray Observatory Launch

    High Earth Orbit (HEO)

    NASA spacecraft in extended mission phase reaches 28th full year of operations in space; instruments able to detect X-ray sources 100 times fainter than any previous X-ray telescope; launched 1999.

  • IAUGA2027: IAU General Assembly

    Rome, Italy

    International Astronomical Union will post a dedicated website "soon". The General Assembly is held every 3 years for astronomers worldwide and includes scientific sessions and administrative business.

  • Lucy Mission Flyby of 3548 Eurybates / Queta

    Jupiter Greek camp at Lagrangian point L4

    NASA mission to encounter 11 asteroids including a main belt and 7 Jupiter Trojans to come within 1,000 km of 64-km diameter 3548 Eurybates asteroid and its 1-km diameter satellite Queta.

  • 9th Anniversary of Parker Solar Probe Launch

    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.

  • 41st Annual Small Satellite Conference

    Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City UT, USA 100 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT, United States

    Annual Small Satellite Conference spotlights technologies driving constellation success.

    $1000
  • Chandrayaan-3 Commemorated for Moon Landing (2023)

    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.

  • Van Allen Probes Mark Another Year in Space

    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.

  • NET Sep — Launch Falcon 9 / Near-Earth Object Surveyor

    TBD

    NET Sep — NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor space telescope (NEO Surveyor), to help advance planetary defense efforts to discover and characterize most of the potentially hazardous asteroids and comets that come within 30 million miles of Earth’s orbit, planned to be launched this month.

  • Lucy Mission Flyby of 15094 Polymele

    Jupiter Greek camp at Lagrangian point L4

    NASA mission to encounter 11 asteroids including a main belt and 7 Jupiter Trojans to come within 415 km of 21-km diameter 15094 Polymele asteroid which may be a collisional fragment and rich in organic tholin compounds.

  • 78th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2027)

    Poznań, Poland

    Expects ~10,000 participants for event themed One Space. Shared Future. Co-events include Space Generation Congress, September 23-25; UN / IAF Workshop, September 24-26; IAA Academy Day and International Meeting for Ministers & Members of Parliaments, both September 26; IAF General Assembly and Bureau Meeting, both October 1. Poland hosts the […]

  • 12th Anniversary of Astrosat Launch

    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 — Launch Falcon 9 / Intuitive Machines IM-4 Nova-C Lander

    SLC-39A, ~29°N, Kennedy Space Center FL, USA

    NET Oct  — Under US$116.9M NASA CLPS award, Intuitive Machines 4th mission to deliver 6 NASA payloads totaling ~79 kg, including carry ESA Lunar ice drill ProSEED / PROSPECT sensor array, magnetometer, radiometer to investigate surface composition, instrument to measure how lander affects regolith, retroreflectors as location marker, a yeast experiment; payload capacity for commercial […]

  • World Space Week

    Worldwide

    Celebrating international contributions of space science for betterment of the human condition; Oct 4 is 68th observation of 1st Space mission Sputnik One launched by Soviet Union 1957; Oct 10 is 58th observation of Outer Space Treaty going into effect 1967.

  • 6th Anniversary of Lucy Spacecraft Launch

    Jupiter Greek camp at Lagrangian point L4

    NASA craft reaches 6 full years in Space, about mid-way through planned 12-year mission to encounter 11 different asteroids.

  • ExoMars 2016 Orbiter Begins Next Year in Mars Orbit

    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).

  • Mars Odyssey Begins Next Year in Mars Orbit

    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.

  • Swift Spacecraft Begins Next Year in Space

    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.

  • Chang’E-5 Begins Next Year on Moon

    Statio Tianchuan, 43° N 51.9° W, Moon Surface

    China National Space Administration (CNSA) Chang'E-5 lander at Statio Tianchuan "ship sailing in the Milky Way", Mons Rümker, Oceanus Procellarum, Moon (43° N, 51.9° W), surpasses another full year on lunar surface today; landed on this day in 2020, with sample return launching from the Moon 2 days later.

  • NET Dec — Hayabusa 2, First Earth Flyby

    Earth Trajectory

    ☆ NET Dec — JAXA Hayabusa 2 mission to perform first flyby Earth today on way to rendezvous with asteroid 1998 KY26 in 2031, after returning samples from (162173) Ryugu to Earth in 2020 and flying by asteroid 98943 Torifune in 2026.

  • Hayabusa 2 Begins Next Year in Space

    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.

  • XMM-Newton Begins Next Year in Space

    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.

  • AGU 2027 Annual Meeting

    Washington DC, USA

    Save the date for future Annual Meetings: December 13-17, 2027 | Washington, D.C. December 11-15, 2028 | San Diego

  • Chang’E-3 Lander Begins Next Year on Moon

    Guang Han Gong, 44.12°N 19.51°W, Moon Surface

    China National Space Administration (CNSA) spacecraft at Guang Han Gong "Moon Palace", Sinus Iridum / Mare Imbrium, 44.12°N 19.51°W, surpasses another full year on Moon surface, landed 2013.

  • WISE / NEOWISE Begins Next Year in Space

    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.

  • Gaia Spacecraft Begins Next Year in Space

    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.

  • Mars Express Begins Next Year in Mars Orbit

    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.

  • NET 2028 — Launch Long March 10 / Human Moon Flyby

    Wenchang Space Launch Center, ~19°N, Hainan Island, China

    NET 2028 — Tentative date for China's first crewed lunar flyby using super-heavy lift Long March 10 rocket and crew spacecraft Mengzhou, while continuing to develop the crewed lander Lanyue that will rendezvous in lunar orbit.

  • NET 2028 — Launch Tianwen-3 Mars Sample Return Mission

    Wenchang Space Launch Center, ~19°N, Hainan Island, China

    NET 2028 — China expects to launch Tianwen-3 Mars Sample Return Mission to Mars by this date, to deliver samples to Earth by 2031; focus is on astrobiology.

  • NET 2028 — Launch Vehicle TBD / Blue Ghost Mission 3

    TBD

    NET 2028 — Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 3 to launch (on vehicle TBD), under $179.6M NASA CLPS award, to take 6 payloads to Gruithuisen Domes, 36.3° N, 319.8° E, for radio-wave observations, neutron measurements, photovoltaic investigation, regolith sampling, Heimdall camera imaging, Lunar-VISE exploration.

  • NET 2028 — Launch Angara A5 / Luna-27

    Vostochny Cosmodrome, ~52°N, Russia

    NET 2028 — Roscosmos planning to launch Angara A5 with Luna-27 (Luna-Resurs 1) lander to Moon South Pole to target frozen volatiles in sub surface.

  • NET 2028 — Launch Starship / Venturi Astrolab FLEX LTV

    Starbase, 25.9°N, Boca Chica TX, USA

    SpaceX to launch Starship with Venturi Astrolab FLEX LTV from Starbase, Boca Chica TX. Under NASA Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) Services contract, and carrying commercial payloads, Astrolab (working with Axiom Space and Odyssey Space Research) full-scale Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover, with payload capacity up to 1,500 kg, aiming […]

  • 2028 AIAA SciTech Forum

    AIAA SciTech Forum—the premier aerospace R&D event of the year exploring the science, technologies, and capabilities that are transforming aerospace.

  • Lunar New Year

    China (Zhongguo) / Worldwide

    Lunar New Year 2028 Spring Festival marks the Year of the Monkey.

  • Apollo 1, 61st Observation

    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.

  • Challenger STS-51L, 42nd Observation

    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 […]

  • Explorer 1, 70th Observation

    Nationwide USA

    American Artemis Return to the Moon For Good is underway, Mars attention and planning advancing, Outer Solar System search for life ongoing, and Interstellar craft on outgoing trajectories while first USA satellite launch on this day in 1958 ‘Explorer 1’ is celebrated and remembered.

  • Columbia STS-107, 25th Observation

    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 […]

  • 7th Anniversary of Tianwen-1 Probe Entering Mars Orbit

    Mars Orbit

    China Tianwen-1 orbiter reaches 7 full years of operations in Mars orbit; Lander & Rover touched down ~3 months after this date at Utopia Planitia 25.1°N, 109.9°E; launched July 2020, reached orbit 2021.

  • Intuitive Machines IM-1 Mission, Moon Landing Observation (4th Year)

    Near Malapert A Crater, 80.13°S 1.44°E, Moon Surface

    Fourth annual observation of 1st successful commercial lunar landing on Moon by Intuitive Machines and its IM-1 Nova-C Lander "Odysseus". This mission also marks the USA first return to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. IM-1 lander carried 6 NASA and 6 independent payloads to surface, landing near Malapert […]

  • NET Early 2028 — Launch Orion for Artemis 4

    SLC-39B, ~29°N, Kennedy Space Center FL, USA

    1st crewed lunar landing since 1972, landing 1st Woman & 1st Person of Color on the Moon, and 1st crew to Moon South Pole; 30-day mission to consist of 4 crew at launch, 2 to land on surface for 6.5 days. NASA announcement week of March 11, 2026, said United […]

  • Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM3) / Shukrayaan-1 Mission

    Satish Dhawan Space Center, ~14°N, Sriharikota, India

    India planning to launch its first mission, Shukrayaan-1, to Venus to study the surface and atmosphere of Venus; planned to enter Venusian orbit 19 July 2028.

  • NET Apr — End of Nominal Mission for BepiColombo

    Mercury Orbit

    NET Apr — European Space Agency / JAXA Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (BepiColombo) nominal mission ends this month, 5.82 Mercury years after orbit insertion; potential extended mission and plans TBD.

  • 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.

  • Yuri’s Night Celebrations

    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, […]

  • Lucy Spacecraft to Fly By Asteroid 11351 Leucus

    Jupiter Greek camp at Lagrangian point L4

    NASA's Lucy mission, to encounter 11 asteroids including a main belt and 7 Jupiter Trojans, planned to come within 1,000 km of 34-km diameter 11351 Leucus asteroid today.

  • National Day of Space Flight

    China (Zhongguo)

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

  • International Space Day

    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.

  • NET Jun — Hayabusa 2, Second Earth Flyby

    Earth Trajectory

    ☆ NET Jun — JAXA Hayabusa 2 mission to perform second flyby Earth today on way to rendezvous with asteroid 1998 KY26 in 2031, after returning samples from (162173) Ryugu to Earth in 2020 and flying by asteroid 98943 Torifune in 2026.

  • AIAA Aviation Forum 2028

    San Diego CA, USA

    The only aviation event that covers the entire integrated spectrum of aviation business, research, development and technology. At Manchester Grand Hyatt.

  • Asteroid Day 2028

    Worldwide

    UN-Sanctioned annual, global asteroid awareness program supporting thousands of independently organized events, providing educational resources; held on June 30, the anniversary of the Tunguska event in 1908 when a meteor air burst levelled about 2,150 km² of forest in Siberia, Russia.

  • NET Q3 2028 — Launch Long March 5 / Chang’E-8

    Wenchang Space Launch Center, ~19°N, Hainan Island, China

    NET Q3 2028 — Chang'E-8 planned to land at Moon South Pole with 10 international projects to conduct in-situ resource utilization experiments; mission includes lander, Pakistan SUPARCO rover, robots for supporting international lunar base buildout.

  • 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.

  • Viking 1 Mars Lander 52nd Landing Observation Anniversary

    Nationwide USA

    First USA spacecraft to successfully land on another planet commemorated today for its accomplishment 52 years ago; originally scheduled for July 4, landing was delayed until this day in 1976 due to rough landing site.

  • Apollo 11, 59th Observation

    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.

  • Parker Solar Probe Begins Next Year in Space

    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.

  • Chandrayaan-3 Commemorated for Moon Landing (2023)

    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.

  • Van Allen Probes Mark Another Year in Space

    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.

  • NET Late 2028 – Launch Orion for Artemis 5

    NASA Artemis 5th flight (4th crewed mission) lasting 30 days, planned to send 4 Astronauts to the Lunar Gateway to install the I-Hab module, and conduct a second crewed lunar landing. NASA announcement week of March 11, 2026, said United Launch Alliance (ULA) Centaur V upper stage will be used […]

  • Astrosat Begins Next Year in Space

    Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

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

  • World Space Week

    Worldwide

    Celebrating international contributions of space science for betterment of the human condition; Oct 4 is 68th observation of 1st Space mission Sputnik One launched by Soviet Union 1957; Oct 10 is 58th observation of Outer Space Treaty going into effect 1967.

  • ExoMars 2016 Orbiter Begins Next Year in Mars Orbit

    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).

  • Mars Odyssey Begins Next Year in Mars Orbit

    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.

  • Lucy Spacecraft to Fly by Asteroid 21900 Orus

    Jupiter Greek camp at Lagrangian point L4

    NASA Lucy mission, to encounter 11 asteroids including a main belt and 7 Jupiter Trojans, to come within 1,000 km of 51-km diameter 21900 Orus asteroid (which may be a possible binary) today.

  • Swift Spacecraft Begins Next Year in Space

    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.

  • 242nd Galactic Tick Day

    ☆ Nov 24 — 242nd Galactic Tick Day, Milky Way Galaxy: Highlighting Galaxy awareness by celebrating the Solar System traveling around Milky Way Galaxy Center every ~225 million Earth years, one Galactic Tick happens every 633.7 days; first Tick Day was one Tick after October 2nd, 1608 when the first telescope patent […]

  • Chang’E-5 Begins Next Year on Moon

    Statio Tianchuan, 43° N 51.9° W, Moon Surface

    China National Space Administration (CNSA) Chang'E-5 lander at Statio Tianchuan "ship sailing in the Milky Way", Mons Rümker, Oceanus Procellarum, Moon (43° N, 51.9° W), surpasses another full year on lunar surface today; landed on this day in 2020, with sample return launching from the Moon 2 days later.

  • NET Dec 2028 — Launch Falcon Heavy / Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover

    Kennedy Space Center FL, USA

    Mars launch window is open December 2028 into early 2029. Rosalind Franklin Rover will launch to search for life on Mars, NASA announced on 4.16.26. The Rosalind Franklin is part of Europe's ExoMars exploration program, which was established about 15 years ago with NASA as a key partner. NASA-ESA partnership […]

  • Hayabusa 2 Begins Next Year in Space

    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.

  • XMM-Newton Begins Next Year in Space

    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.

  • AGU 2028 Annual Meeting

    San Diego CA, USA

    Save the date for future Annual Meetings: December 11-15, 2028 | San Diego

  • Chang’E-3 Lander Begins Next Year on Moon

    Guang Han Gong, 44.12°N 19.51°W, Moon Surface

    China National Space Administration (CNSA) spacecraft at Guang Han Gong "Moon Palace", Sinus Iridum / Mare Imbrium, 44.12°N 19.51°W, surpasses another full year on Moon surface, landed 2013.

  • WISE / NEOWISE Begins Next Year in Space

    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.

  • Gaia Spacecraft Begins Next Year in Space

    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.