Space calendar 2019: launches, sky events and more

LAST UPDATED April 24: These dates are subject to change, and will be updated throughout the year as firmer dates arise. Please DO NOT schedule travel based on a date you see here. Launch dates collected from NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, Spaceflight Now and others.

Watch NASA webcasts and other live launch coverage on our Watch Live page, and see our night sky webcasts here. (You can also watch NASA TV live via nasa.gov or YouTube.)

Find out what's up in the night sky this month with our visible planets guide and skywatching forecast. Spot the International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope and other satellites in the sky above with this satellite tracker

April 25: Moon occults Saturn. The moon will pass in front of the ringed planet for skywatchers in Australia, New Zealand and South America, while those stargazing from other parts of the world will see the two bodies make a close approach, or a conjunction. 

April 29–May 3: The International Academy of Astronautics will hold its 6th biannual Planetary Defense Conference in Washington, D.C. 

April 30:SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Dragon CRS-17 cargo mission to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, at 4:22 a.m. EDT (0822 GMT). [Watch Live] 

May

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May 2: The SpaceX Dragon CRS-17 cargo spacecraft will arrive at the International Space Station. The Expedition 59 crew will grapple it with the Canadarm2 robotic arm at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT). 

May 3/4: A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will launch three small satellites for the U.S. Air Force’s Rapid Agile Launch Initiative (RALI). The mission, designated STP-27RD, will lift off from the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. 

May 4: Star Wars Day! May the Fourth be with you. 

May 4: New moon. 

May 5: National Astronaut Day

May 5: The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks before dawn on May 5, but the meteors will remain active until mid-May. 

May 7: See a conjunction of the moon and Mars in the evening sky. The pair will be about 3 degrees apart when they may their closest approach at 8:21 p.m. EDT (2021 GMT).

May 13: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the Glonass M navigation satellite from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. 

May 16:SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Canadian Space Agency's Radarsat Constellation Mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. 

May 18: Blue Moon. The Full Flower Moon will reach full phase at 5:11 p.m. EDT (2111 GMT). It will be the third full moon in one season, making it a "Blue Moon." 

May 22: Moon occults Saturn. The moon will pass in front of the ringed planet for skywatchers in Australia, southern Africa and Antarctica. Meanwhile, skywatchers in other parts of the world will see the two bodies make a close approach, or a conjunction. 

May 23: A Russian Proton rocket will launch the Blagovest No. 14L communications satellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. 

May 27: SpaceX will use a Falcon 9 rocket to launch the Amos 17 communications satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. [Watch Live] 

May 31: A Russian Proton rocket will launch the Yamal 601 communications satellite for Gazprom Space Systems from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. 

Also launching in May (from Spaceflight Now):

  • India will launch the RISAT 2B radar Earth-observation satellite on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C46 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India.

June

June 3: New moon.

June 5:  An Ariane 5 rocket provided by Arianespace will launch the DirecTV 16 and Eutelsat 7C communications satellites from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. 

June 12: NASA will conduct a test of the Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. 

June 17: Full Moon. The "Strawberry Moon" will reach full phase at 4:31 a.m. EDT (0831 GMT). 

June 19: Moon occults Saturn. The moon will pass in front of the ringed planet for skywatchers in parts of South America and southern Africa. Meanwhile, skywatchers in other parts of the world will see the two bodies make a close approach, or a conjunction. 

June 21: Solstice. Today marks the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. 

June 21: A Russian Proton rocket will launch the Spektr-RG X-ray observatory from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:44 a.m. EDT (1344 GMT).

June 24: Three Expedition 59 crewmembers will return to Earth after spending more than 6 months at the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Anne McClain, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko will depart the orbiting laboratory in the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft and touch down in Kazakhstan.

June 27:United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the fifth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite for the U.S. military. 

June 27: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch with the Meteor M2-2 polar-orbiting weather satellite and 40 small satellites from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia.

June 30: Asteroid Day

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

  • SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the U.S. Air Force's Space Test Program-2 mission from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
  • SpaceX will launch an in-flight abort test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft. 
  • A Russian Rockot rocket will launch three Gonets M communications satellites from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia.

July

July 2: A total solar eclipse will be visible from South America. It is the only total solar eclipse of 2019.

July 8: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Dragon cargo spacecraft (CRS-18) on a mission to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. 

July 16: Full Moon. The "Buck Moon" will reach full phase at 5:38 p.m. EDT (2138 GMT). 

July 16: A partial lunar eclipse will be visible from South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

July 20: 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

July 20: Three new Expedition 60 crewmembers will launch to the International Space Station in the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft: NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Skvortsov. They will lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Russian Soyuz rocket at 12:25 p.m. EDT (1635 GMT). 

July 25: Crew Dragon Demo 2: SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to take its first crewed test flight to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken on board. This will be the Crew Dragon's first test flight with astronauts on board following the uncrewed Demo-1 mission in March. 

July 25: A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket will launch the second GPS 3 satellite for the U.S. Air Force's Global Positioning System from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. 

July 31: Black Moon. The moon will reach new phase for the second time in one month at 11:13 p.m. EDT (0313 GMT on Aug. 1). 

July 31: Russia will launch a Progress cargo spacecraft on a mission to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. It will lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Russian Soyuz rocket. 

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

  • Japan will launch the HTV-8 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. It will lift off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a Japanese H-2B rocket. 
  • China will launch the Shijian 20 communications satellite from Wenchang, China on a Long March 5 rocket.
  • Arianespace will use a Vega rocket to launch the Falcon Eye 1 Earth-imaging satellite for the United Arab Emirates. It will lift off from Kourou, French Guiana. 

August

Aug. 9: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. The gas giant will meet up with the moon in the evening sky. At 6:53 p.m. EDT (2253 GMT), the moon will be about 2 degrees to the north of Jupiter. 

Aug. 12: Moon occults Saturn. The moon will pass in front of the ringed planet for skywatchers in Australia, New Zealand and French Polynesia. Meanwhile, skywatchers in other parts of the world will see the two bodies make a close approach, or a conjunction. 

Aug. 13: The Perseid meteor shower peaks. 

Aug. 15: Full Moon. The "Sturgeon Moon" will reach full phase at 8:29 a.m. EDT (1229 GMT). 

Aug. 17: The Boeing CST-100 Starliner may launch on its first uncrewed mission, called the Orbital Flight Test (OFT), to the International Space Station. It will lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The mission was delayed from April to no earlier than August.

Aug. 22: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the uncrewed Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Rather than delivering a crew to the International Space Station, as Soyuz spacecraft are designed to do, this Soyuz will be used to test a newly modified launch abort system. 

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

  • An Arianespace Vega rocket will launch on the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) proof-of-concept mission with multiple small satellites from Kourou, French Guiana. 

September

Sept. 14: Full Moon. The "Harvest Moon" will reach full phase at 12:33 a.m. EDT (0433 GMT). 

Sept. 23: Equinox. Today is the first day of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of spring in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Sept. 25: Three new Expedition 61 crewmembers will launch to the International Space Station in the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft: NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka, and Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates. They will lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Russian Soyuz rocket.

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

  • Japan will launch the HTV-8 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. It will lift off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a Japanese H-2B rocket. 

October

Oct. 3: NASA astronaut Nick Hague, Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates will return to Earth from the International Space Station

Oct. 13: Full Moon. The "Hunter's Moon" will reach full phase at 5:08 p.m. EDT (2108 GMT). 

Oct. 15: An Arianespace Soyuz rocket will launch the first COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG 1) radar surveillance satellite for the Italian space agency. Flying as a secondary payload is the European Space Agency's Characterizing Exoplanet Satellite (CHEOPS). The mission will lift off from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. 

Oct. 19: Northrop Grumman will launch the Cygnus NG-12 cargo mission to the International Space Station. It will lift off from Wallops Island, Virginia on an Antares rocket. 

Oct. 21-22: The Orionid meteor shower peaks. 

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

  • A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the third GPS 3 satellite for the U.S. Air Force's Global Positioning System from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. 

November

Nov. 2: Moon occults Saturn. The moon will pass in front of the ringed planet for skywatchers in New Zealand. Meanwhile, skywatchers in other parts of the world will see the two bodies make a close approach, or a conjunction. 

Nov. 3: Daylight saving time ends. Set your clocks back an hour at 2 a.m. — and maybe enjoy an extra hour of sleep!

Nov. 11-12: Mercury transits the sun. Skywatchers (wearing proper eye protection) can see the small planet Mercury pass in front of the sun. 

Nov. 12: Full Moon. The "Beaver Moon" will reach full phase at 8:34 a.m. EDT (1334 GMT). 

Nov. 17-18: The Leonid meteor shower peaks. 

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

  • Boeing's CST-100 Starliner will take its first Crew Test Flight to the International Space Station. It will lift off on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson, NASA astronaut Eric Boe and NASA astronaut Nicole Mann. 
  • An Arianespace Vega rocket will launch the United Arab Emirates' Falcon Eye 2 Earth observation satellite from Kourou, French Guiana. 

December

Dec. 4: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch a Progress cargo delivery spacecraft to the International Space Station.

Dec. 12: Full Moon. The "Cold Moon" will reach full phase at 12:12 a.m. EDT (0512 GMT). 

Dec. 13-14: The Geminid meteor shower peaks. 

Dec. 21-22: The Ursid meteor shower peaks. 

Dec. 25-26: An annular solar eclipse will be visible from the Arabian Peninsula to Indonesia. A partial solar eclipse will be visible across much of Asia, the Middle East, Australia and western Africa. 

Also scheduled to launch in December (from Spaceflight Now):

  • The U.S. Air Force's super-secret X-37B space plane will launch on its sixth classified mission. A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the mission from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. 

More coming in 2019...

  • Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne rocket will make its first orbital test flight.
  • India will launch the Chandrayaan-2 mission to the moon. It will lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India. 
  • China will launch the Chang'e 5 mission to return samples from the moon. It will be the first lunar sample return mission attempted since 1976.
  • NASA aims to launch the Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) mission after extensive delays caused by problems with the Pegasus XL rocket.
  • An International Launch Services Proton rocket will launch the Eutelsat 5 West B communications satellite and the first Mission Extension Vehicle, both for Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems. 
  • The European Space Agency will launch the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SMSS) proof-of-concept mission on an Arianespace Vega rocket from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. 
  • India will launch the first Cartosat 3-series Earth-imaging and mapping satellite for the Indian Space Research Organization

Video can be accessed at source link below.

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By Hanneke Weitering / Staff Writer-Producer

Email Hanneke Weitering at [email protected] or follow her @hannekescience.

(Source: space.com; April 24, 2019; https://tinyurl.com/y83d6zc3)
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