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



LAST UPDATED Jan. 25: These dates are topic to vary, and will probably 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 reside launch protection on our “Watch Live” web page, and see our evening sky webcasts right here. Find out what’s up within the evening sky this month with our seen planets information and skywatching forecast. Wondering what occurred right this moment in area historical past? Check out our “On This Day in Space” video present right here!Jan. 27: NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover are scheduled take a spacewalk collectively outdoors the International Space Station, to outfit science {hardware} on Europe’s Columbus laboratory module. They are anticipated to exit the station by way of the Quest airlock at 7:05 a.m. EST (1205 GMT) and can spend about 6.5 hours working outdoors the orbiting lab. Watch it resideJan. 27: Mercury reaches its highest level within the night sky, shining brightly at magnitude -0.7. See it simply above the southwest horizon after sundown. Jan. 28: The full moon of January, generally known as the Full Wolf Moon, arrives at 2:16 p.m. EST (1916 GMT).Jan. 29: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch roughly 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband community, a mission designated Starlink 17. It will elevate off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Watch it resideAlso scheduled to launch in January (from Spaceflight Now):The Brunswick-based startup bluShift Aerospace will try and launch the Stardust 1.0 prototype sounding rocket from the Loring Commerce Centre in Limestone, Maine, at Eight a.m. EST (1300 GMT). A earlier launch try on Jan. 15 was referred to as off because of unhealthy climate. If profitable, the mission will mark the primary industrial launch of a rocket powered by bio-derived gas. Stardust 1.Zero is predicted to achieve an altitude of about 5,000 ft (1,500 meters). Watch it resideFebruary Feb. 1: NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins and Victor Glover are scheduled take their second spacewalk collectively outdoors the International Space Station; this time the astronauts will improve high-definition video and digital camera gear outdoors the orbiting lab. They are anticipated to exit the station by way of the Quest airlock at 7:05 a.m. EST (1205 GMT) and can spend about 6.5 hours spacewalking. Watch it resideFeb. 9: The United Arab Emirates’ first mission to Mars, the Hope orbiter, will arrive on the Red Planet. Feb. 10: China’s Tianwen-1 Mars mission, which consists of an orbiter and a lander, will arrive in orbit across the Red Planet. (The rover will not land till May 2021).Feb. 11: The new moon arrives at 2:06 p.m. EST (1906 GMT).Feb. 14: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the Progress 77 cargo resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. It will elevate off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, at 11:45 p.m. EST (0445 Feb. 15 GMT). Watch it resideFeb. 17: Russia’s Progress 77 cargo resupply spacecraft will arrive on the International Space Station. Docking is scheduled for 1:19 a.m. EST (0619 GMT). Watch it resideFeb. 18: NASA’s latest Mars rover Perseverance will arrive on the Red Planet. The rover is predicted to the touch down contained in the 28-mile-wide (45 kilometers) Jezero Crater at roughly Three p.m. EST (2000 GMT). Watch it resideFeb. 18: Conjunction of the moon and Mars. Just someday earlier than reaching first quarter part, the waxing crescent moon will swing about Four levels to the south of Mars within the night sky.Feb. 20: Northrop Grumman will use an Antares rocket to launch the Cygnus NG-15 cargo resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station. It will elevate off from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, at 12:36 p.m. EST (1736 GMT). Watch it resideFeb. 22: Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus NG-15 cargo resupply spacecraft will arrive on the International Space Station at 4:30 a.m. EST (0930 GMT). Watch it resideFeb. 25: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch 36 satellites into orbit for the OneInternet web constellation. It will elevate off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Siberia. Watch it resideFeb. 26: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the STP-Three rideshare mission for the U.S. Space Force. It will elevate off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Watch it resideFeb. 27: The full moon of February, generally known as the Full Snow Moon, arrives at 3:17 a.m. EST (0817 GMT).Feb. 28: Mercury reaches its highest level in morning sky, shining brightly at magnitude 0.1. Catch the innermost planet above the jap horizon shortly earlier than dawn.Also scheduled for February (from Spaceflight Now):A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch roughly 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband community in a mission designated Starlink 18. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch roughly 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband community in a mission designated Starlink 19.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. India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C51) will launch the Amazônia 1 Earth statement satellite tv for pc for Brazil. It will elevate off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India. MarchMarch 4: 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 resideMarch 6: Mercury at biggest elongation west. The innermost planet will attain its biggest western separation from the solar, shining brightly at magnitude 0.1. Catch the elusive planet above the jap horizon shortly earlier than dawn.March 9: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waning crescent moon will swing about Four levels to the south of Saturn within the daybreak sky. March 10: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. The waning crescent moon will swing about Four levels to the south of Jupiter within the daybreak sky.March 13: The new moon arrives at 5:21 a.m. EST (1021 GMT).March 19: Conjunction of the moon and Mars. The waxing crescent moon will swing about 2 levels to the south of Mars within the night sky.March 20: Vernal Equinox. Today marks the primary day of spring within the Northern Hemisphere and the primary day of autumn within the Southern Hemisphere.March 14: Daylight Saving Time begins. Turn your clocks ahead one hour at 2 a.m. native time. March 28: The full moon of March, generally known as the Full Worm Moon, arrives at 2:48 p.m. EDT (1817 GMT).March 28: Venus reaches its biggest brightness in its 2021 night apparition, shining brightly at magnitude -3.9. Catch the planet simply above the western horizon at sundown. March 29: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on its second uncrewed mission to the International Space Station, following a partial failure in December 2019. The Orbital Flight Test 2 mission will elevate off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Watch it resideMarch 30: SpaceX will launch the second operational flight of its Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. Flying on the Crew-2 mission will probably be NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet. Watch it resideAlso scheduled to launch in March (from Spaceflight Now):A U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman Minotaur 1 rocket will launch a categorised spy satellite tv for pc for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office in a mission referred to as NROL-111. It will elevate off from Pad 0B at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia. Watch it liveA United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the USSF-8 mission for the Space Force’s Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP). It will elevate off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Watch it liveA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon cargo resupply mission (CRS-22) to the International Space Station. It will elevate off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Watch it resideIndia’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk. 2 (designated GSLV-F10) will launch India’s first GEO Imaging Satellite, or GISAT 1. It will elevate off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India.An Arianespace Vega rocket, designated VV18, will launch the Pléiades Neo 1 Earth statement satellite tv for pc for Airbus and a number of rideshare payloads. The mission will elevate off from the Guiana Spaceport close to Kourou, French Guiana. Watch it resideApril April 6: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waning crescent moon will swing about Four levels to the south of Saturn within the daybreak sky. April 7: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. The waning crescent moon will swing about Four levels to the south of Jupiter within the daybreak sky.April 10: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the crewed Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft to the International Space Station with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky, Pyotr Dubrov and Andrei Borisenko. It will elevate off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Watch it resideApril 11: The new moon arrives at 10:31 p.m. EDT (0231 April 12 GMT).April 17: Lunar occultation of Mars. The waxing crescent moon will briefly move in entrance of the planet Mars for skywatchers in elements of Asia. Elsewhere on the earth, the moon will make a detailed strategy to Mars. Look for the pair above the western horizon after sundown. April 21-22: The Lyrid meteor bathe, which is energetic April 16-30, peaks in a single day.April 26: The full moon of April, generally known as the Full Pink Moon, arrives at 11:32 p.m. EDT (0332 April 27 GMT). Because the moon may also be close to perigee, or its closest level to Earth, this may also be a so-called “supermoon.”May May 3: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The last-quarter moon will swing about Four levels to the south of Saturn within the daybreak sky. May 4: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. The waning crescent moon will swing about Four levels to the south of Jupiter within the daybreak sky. May 4: Star Wars Day. (May the Fourth be with you.)May 4-5: The Eta Aquarid meteor bathe, which is energetic from mid-April to the tip of May, peaks in a single day. May 11: The new moon arrives at Three p.m. EDT (1900 GMT).May 15: Mercury reaches its highest level within the night sky, shining brightly at magnitude 0.3. See it simply above the western horizon proper after sundown. May 16: Conjunction of the moon and Mars. The waxing crescent moon will swing about 2 levels to the south of Mars within the night sky.May 17: Mercury at biggest elongation east. The innermost planet will attain its biggest jap separation from the solar, shining brightly at magnitude 0.3. Catch the elusive planet above the western horizon shortly after sundown.May 26: The full moon of May, generally known as the Full Flower Moon, arrives at 7:14 a.m. EDT (1114 GMT). It may also be the closest “supermoon” of the yr. That evening, a complete lunar eclipse, also called a “Blood Moon,” will probably be seen from Australia, elements of the western United States, western South America and Southeast Asia.May 30: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waning gibbous moon will swing about Four levels to the south of Saturn within the daybreak sky. Also scheduled for March (from Spaceflight Now):A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon cargo resupply mission (CRS-22) to the International Space Station. It will elevate off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Watch it resideChina’s Tianwen-1 Mars rover will contact down on the Red Planet.June June 1: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. Just someday earlier than reaching last-quarter part, the waning gibbous moon will swing about 5 levels to the south of Jupiter within the daybreak sky.June 10: The new moon arrives at 6:53 a.m. EDT (1053 GMT).June 10: An annular photo voltaic eclipse, also called a “ring of fire” eclipse, will probably be seen from elements of Russia, Greenland and and northern Canada. Skywatchers in Northern Asia, Europe and the United States will see a partial eclipse.June 13: Conjunction of the moon and Mars. The waxing crescent moon will swing about Three levels to the south of Mars within the night sky.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 24: The full moon of June, generally known as the Full Strawberry Moon, arrives at 2:40 p.m. EDT (1940 GMT).June 27: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waning gibbous moon will swing about Four 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 Four levels to the south of Jupiter within the daybreak sky.Also scheduled to launch in June (from Spaceflight Now):Boeing plans to launch the primary crewed check flight of its Starliner spacecraft, which can ship Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson and NASA astronauts Mike Fincke and Nicole Mann to the International Space Station on an Atlas V rocket. The mission will elevate off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Turksat 5B communications satellite tv for pc from Cape Canaveral, Florida. July July 5: Happy 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 move about Three levels to the north of VenusJuly 23: The full moon of July, generally known as the Full Buck Moon, arrives at 10:37 p.m. EDT (1437 GMT). July 24: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The full moon will swing about Four 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 Four levels to the south of Jupiter within the daybreak sky. AugustAug. 2: Saturn at opposition. The ringed planet will probably be immediately reverse the solar in Earth’s sky across the similar time that it makes its closest strategy to Earth all yr. This means it’s going to seem at its greatest and brightest of the yr. Saturn will attain its highest level within the evening 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 move about Four levels to the north of Venus. Look for the pair above the western horizon after sundown. Aug. 11-12: The annual Perseid meteor bathe, which is energetic from mid-July to the tip of August, peaks in a single day. Aug. 19: Jupiter at opposition. The fuel big will probably be immediately reverse the solar in Earth’s sky across the similar time that it makes its closest strategy to Earth of the yr. The planet will shine at its greatest and brightest tonight and will probably be seen all evening lengthy. Aug. 20: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waxing gibbous moon will swing about Three levels to the south of Saturn within the night sky. Aug. 22: The full moon of August, generally known as the Full Sturgeon Moon, happens at 8:02 a.m. EDT (1202 GMT). This may also 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 Four levels to the south of Jupiter within the evening sky. SeptemberSept. 3: Mercury reaches its highest level within the night sky. Shining at magnitude 0.1, the innermost planet will probably 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 move about Four levels to the north of Venus. Look for the pair above the western horizon after sundown. Sept. 13: Mercury at biggest elongation east. The innermost planet will attain its biggest jap 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 fuel big will seem at its greatest and brightest of the yr, shining at magnitude 7.8. (You’ll want a telescope to see it.)Sept. 16: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waxing gibbous moon will swing about Three 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 Four levels to the south of Jupiter within the night sky. Sept. 20: The full moon of September, generally known as the Full Harvest Moon, happens at 7:54 p.m. EDT (2354 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.Three levels of one another. Shining at magnitude 5.7, Uranus could also be vivid sufficient to identify with the bare eye underneath darkish skies. Also scheduled to launch in September (from Spaceflight Now):A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the primary two WorldView Legion Earth statement satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.OctoberOct. 6: The new moon arrives at 7:05 a.m. EDT (1105 GMT)Oct. 8: The Draconid meteor bathe, which is energetic Oct. 6-10, will peak in a single day.Oct. 9: Conjunction of the moon and Venus. The waxing crescent moon will move about Three levels to the north of Venus. Look for the pair above the western horizon after sundown. Oct. 14: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waxing gibbous moon will swing about Four 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 Four levels to the south of Jupiter within the night sky. Oct. 20: The full moon of October, recognized on 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.Three levels of one another. Shining at magnitude 5.7, Uranus could also be vivid sufficient to identify with the bare eye underneath darkish skies.Oct. 21-22: The annual Orionid meteor bathe, which is energetic all month lengthy, peaks in a single day.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 jap horizon shortly earlier than dawn. The following day (Oct. 25) Mercury will attain its highest level within the morning sky.NovemberNov. 2-3: The annual South Taurid meteor bathe peaks in a single day. Active from mid-September to mid-November, the Southern Taurids hardly ever 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’s going to seem at its greatest and brightest of the yr. Shining at magnitude 5.7, the planet will probably be seen all evening lengthy within the constellation Aries. Uranus could also be to the bare eye from darkish places however is finest seen by way of a telescope or binoculars. Nov. 7: Daylight Saving Time ends. Turn your clocks again one hour at 2 a.m. native time. Nov. 8: Conjunction of the moon and Venus. The waxing crescent moon will move about 1 diploma to the north of Venus. Look for the pair above the western horizon after sundown. Skywatchers in elements of Eastern Asia will see the moon occult Venus, which means it’s going to briefly move in entrance of the planet, blocking it from sight.Nov. 10: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waxing crescent moon will swing about Four levels to the south of Saturn within the night sky. Nov. 11: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. The first-quarter moon will swing about Four 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 energetic from late October to mid-December, will not be anticipated to supply greater than a handful of seen “shooting stars” per hour.Nov. 16-17: One of probably the most 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 evening of the height, however the bathe is energetic all month lengthy. Nov. 19: The full moon of November, generally known as the Full Beaver Moon, happens at 3:58 a.m. EST (0858 GMT). Nov. 19: A partial lunar eclipse will probably be seen from North and South America, Australia, and elements of Europe and Asia. The moon will enter Earth’s faint outer shadow, generally 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). Maximum eclipse happens at 4:02 a.m. EDT (0902 GMT). The complete occasion will final about six hours. DecemberDec. 4: The solely complete photo voltaic eclipse of the yr (and the final complete photo voltaic eclipse till 2023) will probably 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 at the very least 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. 6: Conjunction of the moon and Venus. The waxing crescent moon will move about 2 levels to the north of Venus. Look for the pair above the western horizon after sundown.Dec. 7: Conjunction of the moon and Saturn. The waxing crescent moon will swing about Four 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 Four levels to the south of Jupiter within the night sky.Dec. 13-14: The annual Geminid meteor bathe, probably the greatest meteor showers of the yr, peaks in a single day. The Geminids are energetic 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 full moon of December, generally known as the Full Cold 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. Typically energetic round Dec. 17-26, the Ursids produce about 5 to 10 seen meteors per hour on the morning of the height.More coming in 2021…Q1: 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 will launch an experimental mission for the U.S. Air Force’s Space Test Program referred to as Monolith, which carries an area climate instrument.Early 2021: India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) will launch on its first orbital check flight from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India.Q2: A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket will launch a categorised spy satellite tv for pc for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The mission, titled NROL-82, will elevate off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.Q2: A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the USSF-44 mission for the U.S. Air Force. The mission will elevate off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and is predicted to deploy two undisclosed payloads into geosynchronous orbit.Q2: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the U.S. army’s fifth Space Based Infrared System Geosynchronous satellite tv for pc, or SBIRS GEO 5, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.Mid-2021: An Arianespace Soyuz rocket will launch two satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation constellation. It will elevate off from the Guiana Space Center close to Kourou, French Guiana. Mid-2021: An Arianespace Vega C rocket will launch the LARES 2 satellite tv for pc for the Italian area company. It will elevate off from the Guiana Space Center close to Kourou, French Guiana. Mid-2021: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the Progress 78P cargo resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.Please ship any corrections, updates or prompt calendar additions to [email protected]. Follow Space.com for the newest in area science and exploration information on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.



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