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Astronomy / Astronautics 1.

Some Recent, Current and Future Events

These are by no means complete lists. Visibility ignores weather. Preference is given to those of UK interest.

Recurrent

• Sunrise, Sunset, other Almanac - HMNAO Websurf
• Astronomy Weather Forecasts for the British Isles.
• Seasons :-
  • 2012-09-22 Sat - 14:49 UT, Equinox
  • 2012-12-21 Fri - 11:38 UT, Solstice
  • 2013-03-20 Wed - 11:02 UT, Equinox
    ==========
  • 2013-06-21 Fri - 05:04 UT, Solstice
  • 2013-09-22 Sun - 20:44 UT, Equinox
  • 2013-12-21 Sat - 17:11 UT, Solstice
  • 2014-03-20 Thu - 16:57 UT, Equinox
  • 2014-06-21 Sat - 10:51 UT, Solstice
  • See also Earth's Seasons / Equinoxes, Solstices, Perihelion, and Aphelion, 2000-2020 at USNO. +
• Summer Time
• Leap Seconds : recent 2008-12-31 23:59:60 UTC, 2012-06-30 23:59:60 UTC; next TBD.

Individual Events

Dates and times are not all necessarily UK or GMT/UTC; and may be Earth-received times - popular US sources are often ambiguous at best.

A date shown with a background colour, like 2013-05-1503:01 GMT Tue, should be the local date of the event itself. Also, mouseover should then show the date and time in event-local, GMT and your local form, with the approximate Time-To-Go.

Natural

• 1908/06/17 Tue - Tunguska, Central Siberia (Julian date)
• 1919-05-29 Thu - Solar Eclipse, Principe (Eddington)
• 1927-06-29 Wed - Solar Eclipse, Northern UK
• 1999-08-11 Wed - Cornish Solar Eclipse - "Official" page via Eclipses Online at HMNAO. Next in UK : 2090
• 2004-06-08 Tue - Transit of Venus - next, 2012
• 2005-10-30 Sun - Mars nearest to Earth until 2018
• 2005-12-15 Thu - Moon Northernmost in 18 years about now
• 2006-03-22 Wed - Moon Southernmost in 18 years about now
• 2006-04-05 Wed - 05:11:36 GMT : Moon's limb nearly visible in the North from northernmost UK land, see Astronomy / Astronautics 2
• 2008-06-30 Mon - Tunguska, Russia, 100th anniversary
• 2008-10-07 Tue - Aten asteroid 2008 TC3 hit over N Sudan, 02:46 GMT; ~ 1kT airburst, harmless. First ever predicted impact. Wikipedia.
• 2009-09-04 Fri - Earth crossed Saturn ring-plane
• 2012-06-05/6 . - Solar Transit of Venus : Pacific (partly: UK sunrise). Previous, 2004-06-08. Next: 2117-12-10/11, 2125-12-08, 2247, 2255; ...
• 2012-07-15 Sun - Moon occulted Jupiter, grazing, SE UK, ~03:00 BST
• 2013-01-09 Wed - NEA 99942 Apophis distant Earth pass, 0.1AU
• 2013-02-15 Fri - Meteor burst over Chelyabinsk, Russia
• 2013-02-15 Fri - Asteroid 2012 DA14 passed Earth within geosync orbit
• 2013-03-09 Sat - Comet C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) perihelion; visible near sunset about this date? not here.
  ==========
• 2013-07-?? ??? - Mid-2013 : Gas cloud G2 passes near Sgr A*
• 2013-11-28 Thu - Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) passes near Sun - < 0.012 AU, 20:10 UT, predicted very bright
• 2014-10-1918:51 GMT Sun - Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) passes near (i in 120000 : hits, 2e7 MT) Mars (± 00:47)
• 2015-03-20 Fri - Solar eclipse, partial in and near Europe, total in N Atlantic (+ part of Iceland?), UK ~09:30 GMT
• 2015-09-28 Mon - Next UK complete total Lunar eclipse
• 2029-04-13 Fri - NEA 99942 Apophis visible Earth encounter, Mag 3.3, 31.9Mm over mid-Atlantic. See 2036.
• 2030-09-23 Mon - NEA 2000 SG344 (possibly Apollo or Luna 16 relic), expected to miss Earth by 5 Gm; next visit 2071-09-16, impact 1:1000.
• 2034-11-21 Tue - Moon occults Jupiter, UK, late evening
• 2036-04-13 Sun - Easter Sunday. NEA 99942 Apophis, size 300 m <100 Tg. Pass altitude ~31Mm. Was Torino ≤1, impact <1:1e6. Also 2068.
• 2040-02-05 Sun - NEA 2011 AG5, Torino 1 : near miss of Earth
• 2048-06-?? ??? - NEA 2007 VK184, Torino 1 : almost certain near miss of Earth
• 2061-07-28 Thu - Halley's Comet next perihelion (predicted)
• 2081-09-03 Wed - Total Eclipse, Channel Islands
• 2084-11-10 Fri - Solar Transit of Earth, visible from Mars
• 2090-09-23 Sat - Total Eclipse, SW England
• 2102-??-?? ??? - Polaris closest to Pole for ~25570 years
• 2102-05-04 Thu - NEA 2004 VD17, Torino 2, 1:1000, 500 m <1000 Tg.
• 2134-05-07 Fri - Halley's Comet perihelion (predicted; bright)
• 2135-10-07 Fri - Total Eclipse, UK
• 2182-09-24 Tue - NEA 101955 1999 RQ36, about 0.1% chance of Earth impact, ~23 GMT
• 2292-07-?? ??? - Next Cruithne closest pass, 0.08 AU (previous, 1902)

Artificial

Most future dates/times may change. "A" is used for "Arrive", "B" for Berth, D for "Dock", "H" for "History", "L" for "Launch", "P" for "Pass", R for "Re-entry", * for others, NET for No Earlier Than. ERT for Earth Received Time.

• 2003-10-15 Wed - L Shenzhou 5, China, LEO, one crew; landed 16th
• 2005-10-12 Wed - L Shenzhou 6, China, LEO, two crew; landed 16th
• 2007-01-01 Mon - * International Lunar Decade began
• 2008-03-09 Sun - L ATV-001 Jules Verne, ESA, Ariane 5, ISS supply
• 2008-09-25 Thu - L Shenzhou 7, China, LEO, three crew, one walk
• 2008-09-28 Sun - L Falcon 1 #4, SpaceX, Demo flight, first SpaceX orbited
• 2008-11-20 Thu - H 10th Anniversary, ISS first launch, Zarya on Proton
• 2009-07-14 Tue - L Falcon 1 #5, SpaceX, RazakSAT
• 2009-07-20 Mon - H 40th anniversary, first moon landing, NASA, 20:17:40 GMT
• 2009-10-28 Wed - L Ares I-X, NASA, flight test #1, suborbital, unmanned
• 2010-01-07 Thu - H 400th anniversary, approx., Galileo saw Jovian Moons
• 2010-04-15 Thu - L GSLV-D3, ISRO, Sriharikota, GSAT-4, new 3rd stage failed
• 2010-06-04 Fri - L Falcon 9 #1, SpaceX US, Dragon, OK. Re-entered late June
• 2010-10-10 Sun - * SpaceShipTwo, first drop test
• 2010-11-02 Tue - H 10th Anniversary, ISS Expedition 1 docking, Soyuz
• 2010-12-06 Mon - P A Venus Climate Orbiter, JAXA, "AKATSUKI", VOI failed, in solar orbit and talking
• 2010-12-08 Wed - L Falcon 9 #2 + Dragon #1, SpaceX : COTS-1 demo, Falcon launched, Dragon separated, two orbits, splashdown, recovery
• 2010-12-25 Sat - L GSLV, ISRO, GSAT-5P comsat, failed
  
  
• 2011-02-16 Wed - L ATV-002 Johannes Kepler, ESA, Ariane 5, ISS supply
• 2011-03-05 Sat - L X-37B OTV FLT-2, spaceplane, USAF, Atlas 5, CCAFS - VTOHL, orbit; landed VAFB 2012-06-16
• 2011-04-12 Tue - H Yuri Gagarin, USSR, first Earth orbit, 50th anniversary
• 2011-05-05 Thu - H Alan Shepard, USA, sub-orbital hop, 50th anniversary
• 2011-05-25 Wed - H JFK Moon speech, Congress, 50th anniversary
• 2011-06-03 Fri - L HEAT 1-X, Copenhagen Suborbitals, Baltic, unmanned.
• 2011-07-08 Fri - L THE LAST SHUTTLE STS-135, Atlantis, NASA, ISS, Raffaello MPLM
• 2011-08-05 Fri - L Juno, NASA, Jupiter Polar Orbiter, arrive 2016-07
• 2011-09-29 Thu - L Tiangong 1, China, LEO, lab module for mini-station
• 2011-10-21 Fri - L Soyuz-ST VS01, Sinnamary (Kourou) #1, Galileo In-Orbit Validation (2)
• 2011-10-31 Mon - L Shenzhou 8, China, LEO, unmanned, docked to Tiangong 1, redocked, landed
• 2011-11-26 Sat - L Mars Science Laboratory, NASA, Atlas 5, rover Curiosity, landed 2012-08-06
  
  
• 2012-02-03 Fri - L Iran, Navid-e Elm-o Sanat, observation satellite
• 2012-02-13 Mon - L Vega VV01, ESA Kourou, #1, LARES, 9 CubeSats
• 2012-02-20 Mon - H John Glenn, USA, Earth orbits, 50th anniversary
• 2012-03-23 Fri - L ATV-003 Edoardo Amaldi, ESA, Ariane VA205, Kourou, ISS supply. Docked -03-28.
• 2012-04-12 Thu - L North Korea, Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite, Unha-3 rocket, Sohae, Cholsan County : FAILED IN ASCENT
• 2012-04-26 Thu - H 50th anniversary, UK-built satellite, Ariel 1
• 2012-05-22 Tue - L Falcon 9, SpaceX, Dragon C2+; COTS2 ISS approach; COTS3 ISS berthing, test cargo transfer. Dragon splashdown -05-31
• 2012-06-16 Sat - L Shenzhou 9, China, LEO, two men one woman, docked twice to Tiangong 1, landed
• 2012-07-21 Sat - L HTV-3, H-IIB, JAXA, Kounotori-3 : ISS supply : Berthed, unberthed
• 2012-07-27 Fri - L SMARAGD-1, two-stage, Copenhagen Suborbitals - broke up?
• 2012-08-06 Mon - A Curiosity, NASA, Mars landing, Gale Crater (05:32 UT ERT)
• 2012-08-12 Sun - L Copenhagen Suborbitals, Tycho Deep Space, Baltic, abort test, partial success
• 2012-09-05 Wed - L Dawn, NASA, departed Vesta for Ceres Feb 2015
• 2012-09-21 Fri - L SpaceX Grasshopper, first hop
• 2012-10-06 Sat - L STIG-B, reusable suborbital, Armadillo Aerospace, abort, recovered
• 2012-10-07 Sun - L Falcon 9, Dragon C3; SpaceX CRS-1; ISS supply #1, docked 10th, splashdown 28th
    secondary Orbcomm satellite, wrong orbit, down
• 2012-12-01 Sat - L Soyuz VS04, Sinnamary, Pléiades 2
• 2012-12-11 Tue - L X-37B OTV FLT-3, spaceplane, USAF, Atlas 5, CCAFS - VTOHL, orbit, eventually land VAFB?
• 2012-12-12 Wed - L North Korea, Kwangmyongsong 3 satellite
• 2012-12-14 Fri - H Eugene Cernan, USA, last man on Moon, 40th anniversary
• 2012-12-17 Mon - * NASA Ebb and Flow (GRAIL) were crashed onto the Moon
• 2012-12-19 Wed - L Soyuz, Russia, Baikonur : ISS taxi, Hadfield Marshburn Romanenko
• 2013-01-30 Wed - L KSLV-1 Naro #3, (South) Korea Space Launch Vehicle, STSAT-2C
• 2013-02-01 Fri - L Zenit-3SL, Sea Launch, Intelsat 27, FAILED
• 2013-02-07 Thu - L Ariane 5 VA212 : Amazonas 3 + Azerspace/Africasat-1a
• 2013-02-25 Mon - L ISRO, PSLV, SARAL, sea altimetry, France/India ; + 5 small inc UK Strand-1
• 2013-03-01 Fri - L Falcon 9, CCAFS, ISS supply CRS #2. Dragon berthed
• 2013-03-29 Fri - L Soyuz, Russia, Baikonur : ISS taxi, Cassidy Vinogradov Misurkin
• 2013-04-21 Sun - L Antares #1, Orbital, Wallops VA US (WFF), dummy payload
• 2013-05-06 Mon - L Vega VV02, ESA Kourou, Vietnam VNREDSat 1A, ESA Proba-V, ESTCube-1
• 
  ==========
  • International Space Station Flight Schedule
  • NASA's Consolidated Launch Schedule
  • N.B. Schedules for ISRO, SpaceX, Orbital can be hard to keep track of
  
  
• 2013-05-2902:31 +0600 Wed - L Soyuz, Russia, Baikonur : ISS taxi, Yurchikhin Nyberg Parmitano
• 2013-06-0518:36:59 -0300 Wed - L? ATV-004 Albert Einstein, ESA, ISS supply
• 2013-06-07 ??? - L? NET, Shenzhou 10, China, 2m 1f ?, LEO, manned docking to Tiangong 1
• 2013-06-1201:01 +0530 Wed - L? ISRO, PSLV-C22 XL, IRNSS 1, navigation satellite
• 2013-06-18 Tue - L? Falcon 9 v1.1 #1, Cassiope (CSA), VAFB
• 2013-06-23 Sun - H Valentina Tereshkova, USSR, Earth orbits, 50th anniversary
• 2013-06-27 Thu - L? NASA IRIS, Pegasus, VAFB
• 2013-06-?? ??? - L? UKube-1, Soyuz-2, Baikonur : first UK cubesat
• 2013-06-?? ??? - L? Nauka, Proton, Russia, to replace Pirs on ISS
• 2013-06-?? ??? - L? ISRO, PSLV-XL, Nav Sat IRNSS-1A
• 2013-07-?? ??? - L? ISRO, GSLV-D5, indigenous cryogenic upper stage, GSAT 14 comsat
• 2013-07-20 Sat - L? HTV-4, H-IIB, JAXA, Kounotori-4 : ISS supply
• 2013-08-?? ??? - L? LADEE, NASA, OSC Minotaur V, WFF, Moon science
• 2013-08-?? ??? - L? JAXA, Epsilon, launcher, flight #1, SPRINT-A satellite
• 2013-08-?? ??? - L? Falcon 9, SES-8 to GTO, CCAFS
• 2013-09-28 Sat - L? NET, Antares #2, Orbital, Cygnus, Wallops, COTS demo, token cargo to ISS
• 2013-4Q-?? ??? - L?? Multipurpose Lab for ISS, Russia
• 2013-10-02 Wed - L? Falcon 9, ISS supply CRS #3
• 2013-10-09 Wed - P? Juno, NASA, Earth fly-by
• 2013-10-22 Tue - L? ISRO, PSLV, Mangalyaan, proposed Mars orbiter; Depart LEO Nov 26/27; MOI Sept 22
• 2013-11-?? ??? - L? Falcon 9, 8 Orbcomm
• 2013-11-18 Mon - L? MAVEN, Atlas 5, NASA, Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution
• 2013-??-?? ??? - L? ISRO, PSLV, Astrosat
• 2013-12-?? ??? - L? Chang'e-3, China, Moon Rover, Sinus Iridium
• 2013-??-?? ??? - L? Gaia, ESA, star/asteroid mapper to L2, Soyuz-Fregat, Sinnamary
• 2013-??-?? ??? - L? China, Mars orbiter, probably
• 2013-??-?? ??? - L? ADM-Aeolus, global winds, ESA, Kourou, Vega
• 2013-??-?? ??? - L? LISA Pathfinder, ESA, Vega, Interferometry demonstration
  
  
• 2014-01-?? ???2014-??-?? ??? - L? NET, Falcon Heavy #1, VAFB, USA
• 2014-??-?? ??? - L? IXV, Vega, ESA, re-entry test
• 2014-??-?? ??? - L? Tiangong 2, China, LEO, Space Lab ?
• 2014-??-?? ??? - L? Hayabusa-2, JAXA/NEC, asteroid 1999 JU3 sample return
• 2014-01-2010:00 GMT Mon - *? Rosetta, ESA, wake from hibernation
• 2014-05-22 Thu - A? Rosetta, ESA, to arrive at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
• 2014-2H-?? ??? - L?? Angara 1 #1, Plesetsk, Russia
• 2014-09-?? ??? - L? Orion/MPCV Flight Test-1 (EFT-1), USA, D4H, CCAFS
• 2014-09-22 Mon - A?? ISRO, Mangalyaan, Mars orbiter MOI
• 2014-11-10 Mon - A? Rosetta, ESA, Philae to land on 67P/C-G
  
  
• 2015-??-?? ??? - L? Firefly #1, Deep Space Industries, asteroid survey
• 2015-??-?? ??? - L? Chandrayaan-2, ISRO & Russia, GSLV, Lunar orbiter, lander, rover
• 2015-??-?? ??? - L?? Luna-Glob-1 / Luna-25; Russia, Orbiter + 4 Japanese penetrators
• 2015-??-?? ??? - L? Vostochny Cosmodrome, Amur Region, Russia, first launch
• 2015-??-?? ??? - L???????? Liberty (SRB+Ariane+capsule), unmanned, ATK, KSC
• 2015-??-?? ??? - L?? India + Russia, space mission
• 2015-??-?? ??? - L? Chang'e-4, China, Moon Lander
• 2015-01-?? ??? - P? New Horizons passes KBO VNH0004, 75Gm
• 2015-05-20 Wed - L??? Venus radar orbiter, ISRO
• 2015-07-1423:49 GMT Tue - A New Horizons, NASA, to pass Pluto
• 2015-08-15 Sat - L? BepiColombo, Ariane 5, ESA/JAXA, Mercury orbiters, arrive 2022-01
• 2015-??-?? ??? - L? Tiangong 3, China, LEO, Space Lab ?
• 2015-11-?? ??? - A?? Akatsuki, JAXA, back at Venus, VOI?
• 2015-12-?? ??? - L??? Athena II, Lockheed Martin, Kodiak, first flight
• 2016-??-?? ??? - L?? Dragonfly #1, Deep Space Industries, asteroid sample retrieval
• 2016-??-?? ??? - L?? Russia, Orbital Technologies space hotel
• 2016-01-?? ??? - L? ExoMars 2016, Proton, Trace Gas Orbiter & demo lander, ESA (+ NASA Russia)
• 2016-03-?? ??? - L? InSight, NASA, Mars lander, core geology
• 2016-07-04 Mon - A? Juno, Jupiter Polar Orbiter, arrives
• 2016-09-?? ??? - L? OSIRIS-REx, NASA, to NEO 1999RQ36 in 2019/20, to Utah 2023
• 2017-??-?? ??? - L?? NASA, TESS, Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
• 2017-??-?? ??? - L???? Stratolaunch test #1, KSC?
• 2017-??-?? ??? - L??? ESA, Ariane 5ME #1
• 2017-??-?? ??? - L?? ESA Cheops (CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite)
• 2017-??-?? ??? - L?? Orion Ascent Abort 2, USA, CCAFS
• 2017-01-?? ??? - L? SolO, Solar Orbiter, ESA+NASA; Atlas 5, CCAFS
• 2017-??-?? ??? - L? Chang'e-5, China, Moon sample return
• 2017-09-15 Fri - *? Cassini end of mission, into Saturn
• 2017-11-30 Thu - L?? USCV-1, US Crew Vehicle, first commercial manned, to ISS
• 2017-12-17 Sun - L?? (Space Launch System) SLS-1, NASA, unmanned circumlunar
• 2018-01-05 Fri - L??? Inspiration Mars flyby mission, Mars 2018-08-21, re-enter 2019-05-21
• 2018-??-?? ??? - L? Fobos-Grunt 2, Russia, Phobos sample return
• 2018-??-?? ??? - L? Vostochny Cosmodrome, Amur Region, Russia, first manned launch
• 2018-04-?? ??? - L? ExoMars 2018, Proton, Rover, ESA (+ NASA Russia)
• 2018-??-?? ??? - L? ESA, Laplace (Jupiter) OR Tandem (Saturn)
• 2018-07-30 Mon - L? NASA, Solar Probe+
• 2018-10-?? ??? - L??? James Webb Space Telescope, NASA (Ariane 5)
• 2019-??-?? ??? - L??? Germany+? ? lunar south pole lander, Soyuz, Kourou
• 2019-??-?? ??? - L?? Nasa asteroid capture, unmanned, Atlas V
• 2020-01-?? ??? - P? Deep Impact, NASA, may pass asteroid 2002 GT
• 2020-??-?? ??? - L?? Euclid, ESA telescope, S-E L2; Soyuz, Sinnamary
• 2020-??-?? ??? - L?? Curiosity #2, NASA, JPL Mars rover
• 2021-??-?? ??? - L?? SLS-2, NASA, manned lunar orbit or manned to captured asteroid
• 2021-10-28 Thu - H 50th anniversary, UK satellite, Prospero
• 2021-??-?? ??? - L????? ESA, Ariane 6 #1
• 2022-08-?? ??? - L??? SLS-3, NASA
• 2022-06-?? ??? - L? JUICE, ESA (+NASA, +), Ariane 5, Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, arr 2030
• 2023-08-?? ??? - L??? SLS-4, NASA
• 2024-08-?? ??? - L??? SLS-5, NASA, Cargo
• 2025-08-?? ??? - L??? SLS-6, NASA, manned. NEO?
• 2026-08-?? ??? - L??? SLS-7, NASA, Cargo
  
  Proposed :
• 2020 - Chinese Space Station
• 2020 - Mars mission : ESA+NASA
• 2020 - Japanese robotic Moon base
• 2025 - Moon Landings : India, China
• 2035 - Mars Landing : India