2023 is a busy year for spaceflight and exploration enthusiasts with countless launches, mission milestones and skywatching events to look forward to.
With so much going on, it's hard to keep track of everything. Never fear — keep up with the latest events in our 2023 space calendar. You can also Find out what's up in the night sky this month with our visible planets guide and skywatching forecast.
Please note: Launch 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 are collected from NASA events, ESA news, Roscosmos space launch schedule, Spaceflight Now launch schedule and others.
Related: Wondering what happened today in space history? Check out our "On This Day in Space" video!
January
Jan. 31: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of Starlink satellites from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 3:32 a.m. EST (0832 GMT). You can watch the launch live on our homepage or here in our preview story.
February
Feb. 2: Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will pass within 26 million miles (42 million km) of Earth. If visible, it will climb progressively higher during the early evening hours in the north-northeast sky, passing within 10 degrees of Polaris, the North Star, on Jan. 30 and within 1.5 degrees of the brilliant winter star Capella on Feb. 5.
Feb. 5: The full moon of February, known as the Snow Moon, arrives at 1:29 p.m. EST (1829 GMT)
Feb. 5: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Amazonas Nexus communications satellite for Hispasat from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
Feb. 9: A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the 83rd Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station.
Feb. 11/12: A Japanese H3 rocket will launch on its first test flight with the Advanced Land Observing Satellite 3, or ALOS 3, an Earth observation satellite for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The launch is scheduled to take place from Tanegashima Space Center, Japan with the launch window commencing at 8:37 p.m. EST (Feb. 11), 0137 GMT (Feb. 12).
Feb. 19/20: Russia's space agency will launch an empty Soyuz capsule to the International Space Station in February to replace a damaged spacecraft that is unsafe to return its crew of three to Earth. The launch is scheduled for 8:57 p.m. EST (Feb. 19), 0157 GMT (Feb. 20).
Feb. 20: The new moon arrives at 2:06 a.m. EST (0706 GMT).
Feb. 26: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on the program's ninth flight with astronauts. The Crew 6 mission will include NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen, Warren "Woody" Hoburg, UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev will launch on the Crew Dragon spacecraft to begin a six-month expedition on the International Space Station. The launch is scheduled for 2:07 a.m. EST (0707 GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Also scheduled to launch in February (from Spaceflight Now (opens in new tab)):
- A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Inmarsat 6 F2 communications satellite for London-based Inmarsat from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- An Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA259, will launch the Syracuse 4B and Heinrich Hertz communications satellites from Kourou, French Guiana.
- Late Feb: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the second pair of O3b mPOWER broadband internet satellites for SES of Luxembourg from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
March
March 1: Jupiter meets Venus in conjunction. The pair will shine just a moon-width apart in the west-southwest sky, half an hour after sunset.
March 7: The full moon of March, known as the Worm Moon, arrives at 7:40 a.m. EST (1240 GMT).
March 7: A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch the Intelsat 40e communications satellite for Intelsat from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
March 11: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon 2 spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station.
March 21: The new moon will arrive at 1:23 p.m. EDT(1823 GMT).
Also scheduled to launch in March (from Spaceflight Now (opens in new tab)):
- A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Polaris Dawn mission commanded by Jared Isaacman. It will be his second trip to space. Isaacman will be joined by pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet, and SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.
- A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch around 10 Tranche 0 demonstration satellites for the U.S. military's Space Development Agency from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.
- A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the IM-1 mission with the Nova-C lander built and owned by Intuitive Machines from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
- A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch a classified spy satellite cargo for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.
- A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch a new-generation Boeing-built broadband satellite ViaSat 3 Americas.
- Late March: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the third pair of O3b mPOWER broadband internet satellites for SES of Luxembourg from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
April
Apr. 5: Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket to launch the European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission, known as JUICE. The mission will observe Jupiter along with its three large moons Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. The spacecraft will enter orbit of the Jovian system in July 2031.
Apr. 6: The full moon of April, known as the Pink Moon, will arrive at 12:34 a.m. EDT (0534 GMT).
Apr. 20: The new moon will arrive at 12:12 a.m. EDT (0512 GMT).
Apr. 20: A rare hybrid solar eclipse will occur today. The solar eclipse will be visible to observers across southeast Asia and Australia.
Related: Solar eclipses 2023: When, where & how to see them
Apr. 22: The Lyrid meteor shower peaks tonight! The shower is active between Apr. 16 and Apr. 25 each year.
Also scheduled to launch in April (from Spaceflight Now (opens in new tab)):
- A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on its first crewed flight. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Mike Fincke, along with an unidentified third crew member, will fly on the mission. The Crew Test Flight to the International Space Station will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
- A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket will launch a Cygnus cargo freighter on a flight to the International Space Station.
- A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Transporter 7 mission from either Vandenberg Space Force Base, California or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The rideshare mission will take several small microsatellites and nanosatellites into sun-synchronous orbit.
May
May 5: The full moon of May, known as the Flower Moon, will arrive at 1:34 p.m. EDT (1834 GMT).
May 5: A penumbral lunar eclipse will occur today! Some parts of the lunar eclipse should be visible in South/East Europe, Much of Asia, Australia, Africa, Pacific, Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and Antarctica.
Related: Lunar eclipses 2023: When, where & how to see them
May 5: The Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks tonight! The shower is active between Apr. 15 and May 27 each year.
May 19: The new moon will arrive at 11:53 a.m. EDT (1653 GMT).
Also scheduled to launch in May (from Spaceflight Now (opens in new tab)):
- A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Crew Dragon spacecraft on Axiom Mission 2 to the International Space Station. The commercial mission will include former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson in command, and John Shoffner (a racecar driver and airshow pilot), who paid for his seat as the pilot. They will be joined by two Saudi astronauts.
- A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch the 84th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station.
June
June 3: The full moon of June, known as the Strawberry Moon, will arrive at 11:42 p.m. EDT (0442 GMT on June 4).
June 4: Venus reaches its greatest elongation — its greatest angular distance — 45 degrees to the east of the sun.
June 18: The new moon will arrive at 12:37 a.m. EDT (0537 GMT).
June 21: Today marks the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the winter solstice for the Southern Hemisphere.
Also scheduled to launch in June (from Spaceflight Now):
- A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch a Dragon 2 spacecraft on a cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
July
July 3: The full moon of July, known as the Buck Moon, will arrive at 7:39 a.m. EDT (1239 GMT).
July 17: The new moon will arrive at 2:32 p.m. EDT (1932 GMT).
August
Aug. 1: The full moon of August, known as the Sturgeon Moon, will arrive at 2:32 p.m. EDT (1932 GMT).
Aug. 11: The Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight! The prolific shower is active from mid-July until late August.
Aug. 16: The new moon will arrive at 5:38 a.m. EDT (1038 GMT).
Aug. 24: The moon will pass in front of one of the brightest and most colorful stars in the sky, Antares.
Aug. 30: The second full moon in August is known as the Blue Moon as it's the second full moon in a calendar moon. It will arrive at 9:36 p.m. EDT (0236 GMT Aug 31).
Also scheduled to launch in August (from Spaceflight Now):
- A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on the program's 12th crewed flight.
September
Sept 14: The new moon will arrive at 9:40 p.m. EDT (0240 GMT on Sept. 15).
Sept. 29: The full moon of September, known as the Harvest Moon, will occur at 5:58 a.m. EDT (1058 GMT).
October
Oct. 8: The Draconid meteor shower peaks tonight! The shower is active between Oct. 6 and Oct. 10.
Oct. 14: The new moon will arrive at 1:55 p.m. EDT (1855 GMT).
Oct. 14: An annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central and South America today!
Related: Solar eclipses 2023: When, where & how to see them
Oct. 20: The Orionid meteor shower peaks tonight! The shower is active between Sept. 26 and Nov. 22.
Oct. 28: The full moon of October, known as the Hunter's Moon, will occur at 4:24 p.m. EDT (2124 GMT).
Oct. 28: A partial lunar eclipse will occur today! Some parts of the partial lunar eclipse should be visible over Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North America, North/East South America, the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the Arctic and Antarctica.
Related: Lunar eclipses 2023: When, where & how to see them
November
Nov. 4: The Southern Taurid meteor shower peaks tonight! The shower is active between Sept. 28 and Dec. 2.
Nov. 9: At 5 a.m. local time, make sure to look toward the east-northeast sky to see the most spectacular pairing of the moon and Venus of 2023.
Nov. 11: The Northern Taurid meteor shower peaks tonight! The shower is active between Oct. 13 and Dec. 2.
Nov. 13: The new moon will arrive at 4:27 a.m. EST (0927 GMT).
Nov. 17: The Leonid meteor shower peaks tonight! The shower is active between Nov. 3 and Dec. 2.
Nov. 27: The full moon of November, known as the Beaver Moon, will arrive at 4:16 a.m. EST (0916 GMT)
December
Dec. 12: The new moon will arrive at 6:32 p.m. EST (2332 GMT).
Dec. 14: The Geminid meteor shower peaks tonight! The shower is active between Dec. 4 and Dec. 17.
Dec 21: Today is the winter solstice for the Northern Hemisphere and the summer solstice for the Southern Hemisphere.
Dec: 21: The Ursid meteor shower peaks tonight! The shower is active from Dec. 13 to Dec. 24.
Dec. 26: The full moon of December, known as the Cold Moon, will occur at 7:33 p.m. EST (0033 GMT on Dec. 27).
More in 2023
Early 2023: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the SES 18 and SES 19 communications satellites for SES of Luxembourg from Cape Canaveral, Florida. They will provide C-band television and data service over the U.S.
Early 2023: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the first two WorldView Legion Earth observation satellites for Maxar Technologies. It will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Early 2023: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the second pair of WorldView Legion Earth observation satellites for Maxar Technologies.
1st Quarter: A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket will launch on its inaugural flight with the Peregrine commercial lunar lander for Astrobotic. It will lift off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
2nd Quarter: A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the USSF 52 mission for the U.S. Space Force. It will lift off from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
2nd Quarter: A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch the USSF 51 mission for the U.S. Space Force.
Summer: A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-100, will launch the ViaSat 3 EMEA broadband communications satellite from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
3rd Quarter: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Euclid mission for the European Space Agency (ESA). Euclid aims to learn more about the parts of the universe we can't see — specifically, dark energy and dark matter.
TBD: India's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) will launch its first commercial mission with four Earth observation satellites for BlackSky Global. It will lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India.
TBD: SpaceX's first Starship Orbital Test Flight could launch from Starbase, Boca Chica Beach, Texas to orbit the Earth and splashdown off the coast of Hawaii.
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