Space calendar 2021: Rocket launches, sky events, missions & more!

LAST UPDATED June 1: These dates are topic to alter, and will likely be up to date all year long as firmer dates come up. Please DO NOT schedule journey primarily based on a date you see right here. Launch dates collected from NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, Spaceflight Now and others.

Watch NASA webcasts and different stay launch protection on our “Watch Dwell” web page, and see our night time sky webcasts right here. Discover out what’s up within the night time sky this month with our seen planets information and skywatching forecast. 

Questioning what occurred right this moment in house historical past? Try our “On This Day in Area” video present right here!

June 1: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. Simply someday earlier than reaching last-quarter section, the waning gibbous moon will swing about 5 levels to the south of Jupiter within the daybreak sky.

June 2: Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov will take a 6.5-hour spacewalk exterior the Worldwide Area Station, beginning at 1:20 a.m. EDT (0520 GMT). Watch it stay

June 2: NASA Administrator Invoice Nelson will give the annual “State of NASA” speech from the James Webb Auditorium at NASA Headquarters in Washington, at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT). Watch it stay

June 3: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon cargo resupply mission (CRS-22) to the Worldwide Area Station. It is going to carry off from Launch Advanced 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Area Heart in Florida, at 1:29 p.m. EDT (1729 GMT). Watch it stay

June 5: SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft will arrive on the Worldwide Area Station at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT). Watch it stay

June 6: SpaceX will use a Falcon 9 rocket to launch the SXM-8 satellite tv for pc for SiriusXM. It is going to carry off from Area Launch Advanced 40 at Cape Canaveral Area Power Station in Florida, at 12:25-2:26 a.m. EDT (0425-0626 GMT). Watch it stay

June 10: The new moon arrives at 6:53 a.m. EDT (1053 GMT).

June 10: An annular photo voltaic eclipse, often known as a “ring of fireplace” eclipse, will likely be seen from components of Russia, Greenland and northern Canada. Skywatchers in Northern Asia, Europe and the USA will see a partial eclipse.

June 13: Conjunction of the moon and Mars. The waxing crescent moon will swing about 3 levels to the south of Mars within the night sky.

June 15: A U.S. Air Power and Northrop Grumman Minotaur 1 rocket will launch a labeled spy satellite tv for pc for the U.S. Nationwide Reconnaissance Workplace in a mission known as NROL-111. It is going to carry off from Pad 0B at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Watch it stay

June 16: NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and European Area Company astronaut Thomas Pesquet will take a 6.5-hour spacewalk exterior the Worldwide Area Station to put in a brand new photo voltaic array. The spacewalk will start at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT). Watch it stay

June 17: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will the U.S. Area Power’s fifth third-generation navigation satellite tv for pc for the World Positioning System (GPS 3 SV05). It is going to carry off from Area Launch Advanced 40 at Cape Canaveral Area Power Station in Florida, in a three-hour launch window that opens at 6 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT). Watch it stay

June 20: The solstice arrives at 11:16 p.m. EDT (0316 June 21 GMT), marking the primary day of summer time within the Northern Hemisphere and the primary day of winter within the Southern Hemisphere. 

June 20: NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and European Area Company astronaut Thomas Pesquet will take their second 6.5-hour spacewalk collectively this month to put in one other new photo voltaic array exterior the Worldwide Area Station. The spacewalk will start at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT). Watch it stay

June 23: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the STP-3 rideshare mission for the U.S. Area Power. It is going to carry off from Cape Canaveral Area Power Station in Florida. Watch it stay

June 24: The complete moon of June, often known as the Full Strawberry Moon, arrives at 2:40 p.m. EDT (1940 GMT).

June 27: The Northrop Grumman Cygnus NG-15 cargo spacecraft, which arrived on the Worldwide Area Station in February, will depart the orbiting laboratory and start its descent to Earth, safely dissipate in our planet’s environment alongside the best way. Astronauts utilizing the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm will launch the spacecraft to ship it on its means at roughly 10:50 a.m. EDT (1450 GMT). Watch it stay

June 27: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waning gibbous moon will swing about 4 levels to the south of Saturn within the daybreak sky. 

June 28: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. The waning gibbous moon will swing about 4 levels to the south of Jupiter within the daybreak sky.

June 30: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the Progress 78P cargo resupply spacecraft to the Worldwide Area Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Watch it stay

Additionally scheduled to launch in June (from Spaceflight Now):

• A Chinese language Lengthy March 2F rocket will launch the Shenzhou 12 spacecraft with a number of Chinese language astronauts on the primary crewed mission to the Chinese language house station. It is going to carry off from the Jiuquan Satellite tv for pc Launch Heart within the Gobi Desert.
• A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Transporter 2 rideshare mission with a number of small satellites for industrial and authorities clients. It is going to carry off from Area Launch Advanced 40 at Cape Canaveral Area Power Station in Florida. Watch it stay

July 

July 1: Arianespace will use a Soyuz rocket to launch 36 satellites into orbit for the OneWeb web constellation. The mission, known as OneWeb 8, will carry off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Siberia. Watch it stay

July 5: Completely satisfied aphelion day! Earth is farthest from the solar right this moment. 

July 9: Mercury reaches its highest level within the morning sky, shining brightly at magnitude 0.3. See it simply above the southeast horizon simply earlier than dawn. 

July 9: The new moon arrives at 9:16 p.m. EDT (0116 July 10 GMT)

July 12: Conjunction of the moon and Venus. The waxing crescent moon will go about 3 levels to the north of Venus.

July 15: A Russian Proton rocket will launch the Nauka science module to the Worldwide Area Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

July 23: The complete moon of July, often known as the Full Buck Moon, arrives at 10:37 p.m. EDT (0237 July 24 GMT). 

July 24: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The complete moon will swing about 4 levels to the south of Saturn within the daybreak sky. 

July 25: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. The waning crescent moon will swing about 4 levels to the south of Jupiter within the daybreak sky. 

July 30: Starliner OFT-2: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on its second uncrewed mission to the Worldwide Area Station, following a partial failure in December 2019. The Orbital Flight Take a look at 2 (OFT-2) mission will carry off from Area Launch Advanced 41 at Cape Canaveral Area Power Station in Florida, at 2:53 p.m. EDT (1853 GMT). Watch it stay

Additionally scheduled to launch in July (from Spaceflight Now):

• A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the USSF-44 mission for the U.S. Air Power. The mission will carry off from NASA’s Kennedy Area Heart in Florida and is predicted to deploy two undisclosed payloads into geosynchronous orbit. Watch it stay
• India’s Polar Satellite tv for pc Launch Car (PSLV) will launch the Indian RISAT 1A radar Earth remark satellite tv for pc from the Satish Dhawan Area Heart in Sriharikota, India.
• An Arianespace Vega rocket, designated VV19, will launch the Pléiades Neo 4 Earth remark satellite tv for pc for Airbus. The mission will carry off from the Guiana Spaceport close to Kourou, French Guiana. Watch it stay
• Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA254, to launch the Star One D2 and Eutelsat Quantum communications satellites from the Guiana Spaceport close to Kourou, French Guiana. Watch it stay

August

Aug. 1: A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket will launch the Cygnus NG-16 cargo resupply mission to the Worldwide Area Station. It is going to carry off from Pad 0A at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Watch it stay

Aug. 2: Arianespace will use a Soyuz rocket to launch 34 satellites into orbit for the OneWeb web constellation. The mission, known as OneWeb 9, will carry off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Watch it stay

Aug. 2: Saturn at opposition. The ringed planet will likely be straight reverse the solar in Earth’s sky across the identical time that it makes its closest strategy to Earth all yr. This implies it can seem at its largest and brightest of the yr. Saturn will attain its highest level within the night time sky round midnight. 

Aug. 8: The new moon arrives at 9:50 a.m. EDT (1350 GMT)

Aug. 11: Conjunction of the moon and Venus. The waxing crescent moon will go about 4 levels to the north of Venus. Search for the pair above the western horizon after sundown. 

Aug. 11-12: The annual Perseid meteor bathe, which is lively from mid-July to the tip of August, peaks in a single day. 

Aug. 18: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon cargo resupply mission (CRS-23) to the Worldwide Area Station. It is going to carry off from Launch Advanced 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Area Heart in Florida. Watch it stay

Aug. 19: Jupiter at opposition. The gasoline big will likely be straight reverse the solar in Earth’s sky across the identical time that it makes its closest strategy to Earth of the yr. The planet will shine at its largest and brightest tonight and will likely be seen all night time lengthy. 

Aug. 20: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waxing gibbous moon will swing about 3 levels to the south of Saturn within the night sky. 

Aug. 22: The complete moon of August, often known as the Full Sturgeon Moon, happens at 8:02 a.m. EDT (1202 GMT). This can even be a so-called “Blue Moon” as a result of it’s the third full moon in a season that has 4 full moons. 

Aug. 22: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. The Blue Sturgeon moon will swing about 4 levels to the south of Jupiter within the night time sky. 

Aug. 26: Arianespace will use a Soyuz rocket to launch 34 satellites into orbit for the OneWeb web constellation. The mission, known as OneWeb 10, will carry off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Watch it stay

Additionally scheduled to launch in August (from Spaceflight Now):

• Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket to launch the SES-17 and Ovzon 3 communications satellites from the Guiana Area Heart close to Kourou, French Guiana. Watch it stay

September

Sept. 3: Mercury reaches its highest level within the night sky. Shining at magnitude 0.1, the innermost planet will likely be barely seen above the western horizon at sundown.

Sept. 6: The new moon arrives at 8:52 p.m. EDT (0052 Sept. 7 GMT).

Sept. 9: Conjunction of the moon and Venus. The waxing crescent moon will go about 4 levels to the north of Venus. Search for the pair above the western horizon after sundown. 

Sept. 13: Mercury at biggest elongation east. The innermost planet will attain its biggest japanese separation from the solar, shining brightly at magnitude 0.1. Catch the elusive planet above the western horizon shortly after sundown.

Sept. 14: Neptune at opposition. The gasoline big will seem at its largest and brightest of the yr, shining at magnitude 7.8. (You may want a telescope to see it.)

Sept. 15: SpaceX will use a Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft to launch the primary all-civilian orbital mission, often known as Inspiration4. It is going to carry off from Launch Advanced 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Area Heart in Florida. Watch it stay

Sept. 16: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waxing gibbous moon will swing about 3 levels to the south of Saturn within the night sky. 

Sept. 18: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. The waxing gibbous moon will swing about 4 levels to the south of Jupiter within the night sky. 

Sept. 18: Arianespace will use a Soyuz rocket to launch 34 satellites into orbit for the OneWeb web constellation. The mission, known as OneWeb 11, will carry off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Watch it stay

Sept. 20: The complete moon of September, often known as the Full Harvest Moon, happens at 7:55 p.m. EDT (2355 GMT).

Sept. 22: The equinox arrives at 3:21 p.m. EDT (1921 GMT), marking the primary day of autumn within the Northern Hemisphere and the primary day of spring within the Southern Hemisphere.

Sept. 24: The waning gibbous moon and Uranus will make a detailed strategy, passing inside 1.3 levels of one another. Shining at magnitude 5.7, Uranus could also be brilliant sufficient to identify with the bare eye below darkish skies. 

Additionally scheduled to launch in September (from Spaceflight Now):

• A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the USSF-8 mission for the Area Power’s Geosynchronous Area Situational Consciousness Program (GSSAP). It is going to carry off from Area Launch Advanced 41 at Cape Canaveral Area Power Station in Florida. Watch it stay
• A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the primary two WorldView Legion Earth remark satellites from Vandenberg Air Power Base in California. Watch it stay

October

Oct. 5: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the Soyuz MS-19 crew capsule to the Worldwide Area Station with Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov and two house vacationers: Russian movie director Klim Shipenko and a (not-yet-named) Russian actress, who plan to movie a film whereas spending one week in house. (The 2 filmmakers are scheduled to return to Earth on the Soyuz MS-18 crew capsule.) Watch it stay

Oct. 6: The new moon arrives at 7:05 a.m. EDT (1105 GMT)

Oct. 8: The Draconid meteor bathe, which is lively Oct. 6-10, will peak in a single day.

Oct. 9: Conjunction of the moon and Venus. The waxing crescent moon will go about 3 levels to the north of Venus. Search for the pair above the western horizon after sundown. 

Oct. 14: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waxing gibbous moon will swing about 4 levels to the south of Saturn within the night sky. 

Oct. 15: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. The waxing gibbous moon will swing about 4 levels to the south of Jupiter within the night sky. 

Oct. 16: NASA will launch its Lucy mission to check the Trojan asteroids. It is going to carry off from Kennedy Area Heart in Florida on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Watch it stay

Oct. 20: The complete moon of October, often known as the Full Hunter’s Moon, happens at 10:57 a.m. EDT (1457 GMT). 

Oct. 21: The waning gibbous moon and Uranus will make a detailed strategy, passing inside 1.3 levels of one another. Shining at magnitude 5.7, Uranus could also be brilliant sufficient to identify with the bare eye below darkish skies.

Oct. 21-22: The annual Orionid meteor bathe, which is lively all month lengthy, peaks in a single day.

Oct. 23: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-3 mission, the third operational astronaut flight to the Worldwide Area Station. On board will likely be NASA astronauts Raja Chari and Thomas Marshburn, and European Area Company astronaut Matthias Maurer. (The fourth crewmember has not but been introduced). It is going to carry off from Launch Advanced 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Area Heart in Florida. Watch it stay

Oct. 24: Mercury at biggest elongation west. The innermost planet will attain its biggest western separation from the solar, shining brightly at magnitude -0.6. Catch the elusive planet above the japanese horizon shortly earlier than dawn. The next day (Oct. 25) Mercury will attain its highest level within the morning sky.

Oct. 28: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the Progress 79 cargo resupply spacecraft to the Worldwide Area Station. It is going to carry off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Watch it stay

Oct. 31: NASA’s James Webb Area Telescope is scheduled to carry off from the Guiana Area Heart in Kourou, French Guiana, on an Ariane 5 ECA rocket. Watch it stay

Additionally scheduled to launch in October (from Spaceflight Now):

• A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the USSF-52 mission for the U.S. Area Power. It is going to carry off from Launch Advanced 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Area Heart in Florida. Watch it stay
• The Soyuz MS-18 crew capsule will return to Earth from the Worldwide Area Station with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, in addition to two house vacationers: Russian movie director Klim Shipenko and a (not-yet-named) Russian actress, who could have arrived on the Soyuz MS-19 mission in September and plan to movie a film in house. Watch it stay
• Arianespace will use a Soyuz rocket to launch 34 satellites into orbit for the OneWeb web constellation. The mission, known as OneWeb 12, will carry off from the Guiana Area Heart close to Kourou, French Guiana. Watch it stay

November

Nov. 2-3: The annual South Taurid meteor bathe peaks in a single day. Energetic from mid-September to mid-November, the Southern Taurids not often produce greater than 5 seen meteors per hour, however the nearly-new moon ought to make them simpler to identify towards a darkish sky. 

Nov. 4: The new moon arrives at 5:15 p.m. EDT (2115 GMT).

Nov. 4: Uranus is at opposition, which means it can seem at its largest and brightest of the yr. Shining at magnitude 5.7, the planet will likely be seen all night time lengthy within the constellation Aries. Uranus could also be to the bare eye from darkish areas however is finest seen via a telescope or binoculars. 

Nov. 7: Daylight Saving Time ends. Flip your clocks again one hour at 2 a.m. native time. 

Nov. 8: Conjunction of the moon and Venus. The waxing crescent moon will go about 1 diploma to the north of Venus. Search for the pair above the western horizon after sundown. Skywatchers in components of Jap Asia will see the moon occult Venus, which means it can briefly go in entrance of the planet, blocking it from sight.

Nov. 10: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waxing crescent moon will swing about 4 levels to the south of Saturn within the night sky. 

Nov. 11: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. The primary-quarter moon will swing about 4 levels to the south of Jupiter within the night sky.

Nov. 11-12: The annual North Taurid meteor bathe peaks in a single day. The bathe, which is lively from late October to mid-December, just isn’t anticipated to supply greater than a handful of seen “taking pictures stars” per hour.

Nov. 16-17: Some of the anticipated meteor showers of the yr, the Leonid meteor bathe peaks in a single day. The Leonids are anticipated to supply about 15 meteors per hour on the night time of the height, however the bathe is lively all month lengthy. 

Nov. 17: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) from Launch Advanced 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Area Heart in Florida. Watch it stay

Nov. 19: The complete moon of November, often known as the Full Beaver Moon, happens at 3:58 a.m. EST (0858 GMT). 

Nov. 19: A partial lunar eclipse will likely be seen from North and South America, Australia, and components of Europe and Asia. The moon will enter Earth’s faint outer shadow, often known as the penumbra, at 1:02 a.m. EDT (0602 GMT). The partial eclipse, when the moon will darken extra noticeably, begins at 2:18 a.m. EDT (0718 GMT). Most eclipse happens at 4:02 a.m. EDT (0902 GMT). Your complete occasion will final about six hours. 

Nov. 24: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Take a look at (DART) mission from Vandenberg Air Power Base in California. Watch it stay

Additionally scheduled to launch in November (from Spaceflight Now):

• An Arianespace Soyuz rocket will launch two satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation constellation. It is going to carry off from the Guiana Area Heart close to Kourou, French Guiana. 

December

Dec. 4: The one complete photo voltaic eclipse of the yr (and the final complete photo voltaic eclipse till 2023) will likely be seen from Antarctica. Skywatchers in South Africa, Namibia, the southern tip of South America and a few islands within the South Atlantic will be capable of see no less than a partial photo voltaic eclipse, with the moon blocking a portion of the solar from view. 

Dec. 4: The new moon arrives at 2:44 a.m. EST (0744 GMT).

Dec. 4: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon cargo resupply mission (CRS-24) to the Worldwide Area Station. It is going to carry off from Launch Advanced 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Area Heart in Florida. Watch it stay

Dec. 6: Conjunction of the moon and Venus. The waxing crescent moon will go about 2 levels to the north of Venus. Search for the pair above the western horizon after sundown.

Dec. 7: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the GOES-T climate satellite tv for pc for NASA and NOAA. It is going to carry off from Cape Canaveral Area Power Station in Florida, at 4:40 p.m. EST (2140 GMT). Watch it stay

Dec. 7: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waxing crescent moon will swing about 4 levels to the south of Saturn within the night sky. 

Dec. 9: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. The waxing crescent moon will swing about 4 levels to the south of Jupiter within the night sky.

Dec. 13-14: The annual Geminid meteor bathe, among the finest meteor showers of the yr, peaks in a single day. The Geminids are lively Dec. 4-17 typically produce as much as 50 seen meteors per hours, however this yr the 78% full moon will outshine the fainter meteors. 

Dec. 18: The complete moon of December, often known as the Full Chilly Moon, happens at 11:37 p.m. EST (0437 Dec. 19 GMT).

Dec. 21: The solstice arrives at 10:59 a.m. EST (1559 GMT), marking the primary day of winter within the Northern Hemisphere and the primary day of summer time within the Southern Hemisphere. 

Dec. 21-22: The annual Ursid meteor bathe peaks in a single day. Sometimes lively round Dec. 17-26, the Ursids produce about 5 to 10 seen meteors per hour on the morning of the height.

Extra coming in 2021…

TBD: India’s Geosynchronous Satellite tv for pc Launch Car Mk. 2 (designated GSLV-F10) will launch India’s first GEO Imaging Satellite tv for pc, or GISAT 1. It is going to carry off from the Satish Dhawan Area Heart in Sriharikota, India

This autumn: India’s Small Satellite tv for pc Launch Car (SSLV) will launch on its first orbital check flight from the Satish Dhawan Area Heart in Sriharikota, India. The mission was delayed from April 2021.

This autumn: India’s Small Satellite tv for pc Launch Car (SSLV) will launch its first industrial mission with 4 Earth remark satellites for the Seattle-based firm BlackSky World. It is going to carry off from the Satish Dhawan Area Heart in Sriharikota, India.

This autumn: The United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket will launch on its debut flight with the Peregrine lunar lander for Astrobotic. It is going to carry off from Area Launch Advanced 41 at Cape Canaveral Area Power Station in Florida.

This autumn: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Turksat 5B communications satellite tv for pc from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Watch it stay

This autumn: An Arianespace Vega rocket will launch three CERES satellites for the French navy. (CERES stands for “Capacité de Renseignement d’origine Electromagnétique Spatiale,” which interprets to “Intelligence Capability of Area Electromagnetic Origin.”) The mission will carry off from the Guiana Spaceport close to Kourou, French Guiana. Watch it stay

Late 2021: Boeing plans to launch the primary crewed check flight of its Starliner spacecraft, which is able to ship NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Nicole Mann, and Barry “Butch” Wilmore to the Worldwide Area Station on an Atlas V rocket. The mission will carry off from Cape Canaveral Area Power Station in Florida. 

TBD: A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will launch on its first mission from a brand new launch pad on the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia. It is going to launch an experimental mission for the U.S. Air Power’s Area Take a look at Program known as Monolith, which carries an area climate instrument.

Please ship any corrections, updates or advised calendar additions to hweitering@house.com. Comply with Area.com for the most recent in house science and exploration information on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Fb.