LAST UPDATED March 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.
March
March 6: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Hispasat 30W-6 communications satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 12:33 a.m. EST (0533 GMT). [Watch Live]
March 6: An Arianespace Soyuz rocket will launch from the Guiana Space Center in South America carrying four satellites for O3b Networks, which provides broadband service to developing countries. It is scheduled to launch at 11:38 a.m. EST (1638 GMT).
March 11:Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. This time we’ll “spring forward” and move the hour hands on our clocks one hour into the future, losing an hour of nighttime.
March 15: A Chinese Long March 3B rocket will launch the Apstar 6C communications satellite from Xichang, China.
March 16: Expedition 55 crewmembers will host a live, in-flight discussion with the National Science Teachers Association in Atlanta from the International Space Station starting at 10:40 a.m EDT (1440 GMT) on NASA TV.
March 20: Spring equinox. This is the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, it is the first day of fall (the autumn equinox).
March 21: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the crewed Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with members of the Expedition 55/56 crew: NASA astronauts Andrew Feustel and Richard Arnold, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemtyev. Lifotff is scheduled for 1:44 p.m. EDT (1744 GMT). [Watch Live]
March 21: Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket to launch the Superbird 8/DSN 1 and Hylas 4 communications satellites from Kourou, French Guiana at 5:42 p.m. EDT (2142 GMT).
March 23: Expedition 56/57 crewmembers (NASA astronauts Andrew Feustel and Richard Arnold, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemtyev) will arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) after a two-day flight. Their Soyuz spacecraft will dock at the ISS at 3:41 p.m. EDT (1941 GMT), and they’ll open the hatch at approximately 5:20 p.m. EDT (2120 GMT). [Watch Live]
March 24: India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk. 2 (GSLV Mk.2) will launch the GSAT 6A satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India.
March 29: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Iridium Next 41-50 satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at (10:19 a.m. EDT (1419 GMT).
March 31: The second full moon of March (and the second”Blue Moon” of 2018)
Also slated to launch in March (from Spaceflight Now):
- India will launch the Chandrayaan 2 mission to the moon from the Satish Dhawan Space Center.
- India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk. 2 will launch the Chandrayaan 2 mission, India’s second mission to the moon.
April
April 2: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Dragon CRS-14 spacecraft on a cargo delivery mission to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT). [Watch Live]
April 5: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida to launch the Bangabandhu 1 communications satellite for the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. [Watch Live]
April 16: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:32-6:33 p.m. EST (2232-2233 GMT). [Watch Live]
April 12/13: A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the AFSPC 11 mission for the U.S. Air Force from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. EDT on April 12 (2200-0200 GMT on April 12 & 13).
April 22/23: The Lyrid meteor shower will peak overnight between Sunday, April 22 and Monday, April 23.
April 22: A Russian Proton rocket will launch the Blagovest No. 12L communications satellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
April 25: A Eurockot Rockot vehicle will launch with the Sentinel 3B Earth observation satellite for the European Space Agency and the European Commission from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia.
April 28: NASA will launch its GRACE-FO (Follow-On) mission to track Earth’s gravty and water movement. It is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California as part of the Iridium Next 51-55 commercial satellite launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9. [Watch Live]
April 30: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the SES 12 communications satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida for SES of Luxembourg.
Also slated to launch in April (from Spaceflight Now):
- India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle will launch the IRNSS 1I navigation satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India.
May
May 1: An Orbital ATK Antares rocket will launch a Cygnus cargo spacecraft (OA-9) to the International Space Station from Wallops Island, Virginia. [Watch Live]
May 5: A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch NASA’s InSight Mars lander from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 7:05 a.m. EDT (1105 GMT).
May 6: The Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak early in the morning (before dawn) on Sunday, May 6. Meteors from this shower will be visible from mid-April to the end of May.
June
June 1: Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft will reach the asteroid Ryugu, where it will attempt to collect a sample and return it to Earth in 2020.
June 6: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the crewed Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with members of the Expedition 56/57 crew: European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst, NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Prokopev. [Watch Live]
June 9: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Dragon CRS-15 spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, Florida on a cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station. [Watch Live]
June 13: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the 70th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. [Watch Live]
June 21: Summer solstice. In the nothern hemisphere, this is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. In the southern hemisphere, June 21 is the winter solstice, or the first day of winter, and the shortest day of the year.
Also slated to launch in June (from Spaceflight Now):
- A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the U.S. Air Force’s Space Test Program-2 mission with a cluster of military and scientific research satellites. [Watch Live]
July
July 13: A partial solar eclipse will be visible from southern Australia, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. [Solar Eclipse Guide 2018: When, Where & How to See Them]
July 27/28: A total lunar eclipse, also known as a “blood moon,” will be visible from Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and Antarctica. [Lunar Eclipse 2018 Guide: When, Where & How to See It]
July 29/30: The southern Delta Aquarid meteor shower will peak overnight on Sunday, July 29 into the early morning hours of Monday, July 30. Meteors from this shower will be visible from mid-July to the end of August.
July 31: A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch NASA’s Parker Solar Probe from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 10:07 a.m. EDT (1407 GMT).
Also slated to launch in July (from Spaceflight Now):
- Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ES rocket to launch four Galileo satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation constellation. The rocket will launch from Kourou, French Guiana.
August
Aug. 11: A partial solar eclipse will be visible from parts of Europe, Asia, Canada, Greenland, the Atlantic and the Arctic. [Solar Eclipse Guide 2018: When, Where & How to See Them]
Aug. 13: The Perseid meteor shower will peak before dawn in the early morning hours of Monday, Aug. 13.
Aug. 27: A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 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 to landing in the Western United States after an orbital shakedown cruise ahead of a two-person Crew Test Flight (which could happen in 2019).
Also slated to launch in August (from Spaceflight Now):
- SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida for an uncrewed test flight to the International Space Station. [Watch Live]
- A Japanese H-2B rocket will launch the seventh H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV -7), an uncrewed cargo vehicle that will deliver equipment and supplies to the International Space Station.
September
Sept. 12: A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket will launch NASA’s ICESat-2 satellite to measure ice sheet elevation and ice sheet thickness changes linked to climate change, along with measurements of Earth’s vegetation biomass. It will lift off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 8:46-11:20 a.m. EDT (1246-1520 GMT).
Sept. 14: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the crewed Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with members of the Expedition 57/58 crew: NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Nikolay Tikhonov. [Watch Live]
Sept. 26: A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch a classified spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Also slated to launch in September (from Spaceflight Now):
- An Arianespace Vega rocket will launch with the Aeolus satellite for the European Space Agency. ADM-Aeolus will be the first ever satellite to deliver wind profiles on a global scale and on a daily basis.
October
Oct. 5:Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket to launch the BepiColombo mission for the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. BepiColombo will begin a seven-year journey to Mercury.
Oct. 9: The Draconid meter shower will peak before dawn on Tuesday, Oct. 9.
Oct. 11: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the 71st Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station. [Watch Live]
Oct. 18: The U.S. military will launch its fourth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite aboard an Atlas 5 rocket provided by the United Launch Alliance. It will launch from pad SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
November
Nov. 1: A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket will launch the 10th Wideband Global SATCOM spacecraft, formerly known as the Wideband Gapfiller Satellite.
Nov. 10: An Orbital ATK Antares rocket will launch the 11th Cygnus cargo freighter on the 10th operational cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station.
Nov. 15: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch a crewed Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station with members of the next Expedition crew.
Nov. 16: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 18th Dragon spacecraft mission on its 16th operational cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station.
Also coming in 2018…
- An air-launched Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket will send NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) satellite into orbit from Kwajalein, Marshall Islands. [Watch Live]
- A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the Arabsat 6A communications satellite from Kennedy Space Center’s historic Pad 39A. [Watch Live]
- India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk. 3 (GSLV Mk.3) will launch the GSAT 29 communications satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India.
- A Chinese Long March 5 rocket 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.
- A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket will launch the U.S. Air Force’s first third-generation navigation satellite for the Global Positioning System (GPS 3-01).
Please send any corrections, updates or suggested calendar additions to hweitering@space.com. Follow Space.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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https://www.space.com/32286-space-calendar.html Space Calendar 2018: Launches, Sky Events & More
[bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]Space Calendar 2018: Launches, Sky Events & More
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