Space calendar 2019: launches, sky events & more
LAST UPDATED Feb. 5: 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.
February
Feb. 5: Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 rocket to launch two satellites: Hellas-Sat 4/SaudiGeoSat 1, which will provide broadband services over Saudi Arabia, Europe and the Middle East; and India's GSAT 31 communications satellite. They will launch from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana at 4:01-4:49 p.m. EST (2101-2149 GMT). [Watch Live]
Feb. 13: Conjunction of Mars and Uranus. The two planets will be about 1 degree apart in the night sky. Mars will be shining at magnitude 1.0, and Uranus will be at magnitude 5.8 — just barely bright enough to be visible to the naked eye from dark-sky locations.
Feb. 18: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch SpaceIL's lunar lander — the first Israeli moon mission — and Indonesia's PSN 6 communications satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 8:58 p.m. EST (0158 GMT on Feb. 19). [Watch Live]
Feb. 18: Conjunction of Venus and Saturn. The "morning star" and the ringed planet will be separated by just over 1 degree in the dawn sky.
Feb. 19: Supermoon. The full moon of February, known as the "Full Snow Moon," will appear slightly bigger than usual in the night sky because of the moon's close proximity to Earth in it orbit.
Feb. 19: An Arianespace Soyuz rocket will launch 10 broadband communications satellites for OneWeb. It will lift off from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana at 4:37 p.m. EST (2137 GMT).
Feb. 21: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the EgyptSat-A Earth observation satellite for Egypt's National Authority for Remote Sensince and Space Sciences. It will lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:47 a.m. EST (1647 GMT).
Feb. 23: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Crew Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida for an uncrewed test flight to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 5:33 a.m. EST (1033 GMT). [Watch Live]
Feb. 26: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation. Now is a great time to see the innermost planet! Look for it in the evening sky close to the western horizon.
Feb. 27: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. See the biggest planet of the solar system get close to the moon in the dawn sky.
Also launching in February (from Spaceflight Now):
- India will launch an electronic intelligence-gathering spacecraft called EMISat from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India.
March
March 1: Moon occults Saturn. Skywatchers along parts of North America, the Pacific and French Polynesia can watch the moon pass in front of Saturn.
March 6: New moon.
March 7: SpaceX may launch its Falcon Heavy rocket with the Arabsat 6A communications satellite. This will be the second flight of the Falcon Heavy following its debut last February. It will lift off from Kennedy Space Center's historic Pad 39A. Two of the three boosters will land at Cape Canaveral, and the third will attempt a drone-ship landing nearby. [Watch Live]
March 8: An Arianespace Vega rocket will launch the Italian Space Agency's PRISMA Earth observation satellite from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana at 8:50 p.m. EST (0150 GMT on March 9).
March 10: Daylight Saving Time.
March 11: Conjunction of the moon and Mars. See the Red Planet a few degrees north of the moon in the evening sky.
March 13: A United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket will launch the 10th Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft (WGS 10) for the U.S. military. It will lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. [Watch Live]
March 14: Three new Expedition 59 crewmembers will launch to the International Space Station in the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft. NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Hammock Koch and Alexey Ovchinin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos will lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Russian Soyuz rocket at 3:14 p.m. EDT. [Watch Live]
March 16: A 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. [Watch Live]
March 20: Vernal equinox. Today marks the start of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. The exact moment of the equinox will occur at 5:44 p.m. EST (2144 GMT).
March 20: Full Moon. The "Worm Moon" will reach full phase at 9:43 p.m. EDT (0143 GMT).
March 25: India will launch the Chandrayaan-2 mission to the moon. It will lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India.
March 26: Conjunction of the moon and Jupiter. See the moon get close to the giant gas planet in the evening sky.
March 26: An Arianespace Soyuz rocket will launch four communications satellites for O3b Networks from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.
March 29: Moon occults Saturn (again). For the second time this month, the moon will pass in front of the ringed planet. Skywatchers in southern Africa, Madagascar and eastern South America can see the occultation, while those watching from other parts of the world will see the two bodies make a close approach, or a conjunction.
Also launching in March (from Spaceflight Now):
- A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch Boeing's first CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on an unpiloted Orbital Test Flight to the International Space Station. The capsule will dock with the space station, then return to Earth.
- A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Canadian Space Agency's Radarsat Constellation Mission from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
April
April 4: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch a Progress cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 7:01 a.m. EDT (1101 GMT).
April 5: New moon.
April 9: Conjunction of the moon and Mars. See the Red Planet make a close approach to the moon in the sky this evening.
April 17: A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket will launch a Cygnus cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station from Wallops Island, Virginia. [Watch Live]
April 19: Full Moon. The "Pink Moon" will reach full phase at 7:12 a.m. EDT (1112 GMT).
April 21-22: The Lyrid meteor shower peaks overnight.
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.
Also launching in April (from Spaceflight Now):
- A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the U.S. Air Force's Space Test Program-2 mission from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
- A Russian Proton rocket will launch the Blagovest No. 14L communications satellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
May
May 4: Star Wars Day! May the Fourth be with you.
May 4: New moon.
May 5: National Astronaut Day.
May 6-7: The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks.
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.
Also launching in May (from Spaceflight Now):
- 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 mission will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
June
June 3: New moon.
June 5: 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.
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 27: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the fifth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite for the U.S. military.
June 30: Asteroid Day.
Also scheduled to launch in June (from Spaceflight Now):
- 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.
A Russian Proton rocket will launch the Spektr-RG X-ray observatory from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the Meteor M2-2 polar-orbiting weather satellite from the Vostochny Cosmodrome.
A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the Arktika-M 1 satellite, which will provide weather monitoring and communications services over the Arctic.
July
July 2: A total solar eclipse will be visible from South America. [Solar Eclipse Guide 2019: When, Where & How to See Them]
July 6: 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.
July 8: A 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 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).
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.
- A SpaceX Falcon 9 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.
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. 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):
- 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.
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 Chris Cassidy, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and Hazza Al Mansouri of the United Arab Emirates. They will lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Russian Soyuz rocket.
October
Oct. 1: Northrop Grumman will launch the Cygnus CRS-13 cargo mission to the International Space Station. It will lift off from Wallops Island, Virginia on an Antares rocket.
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. It will lift off from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana.
Oct. 15: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the CRS-16 Dragon cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
- The European Space Agency will launch the Small Spacecraft Mission Service Proof of Concept mission on an Arianespace Vega rocket from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.