Maryland Space Business Roundtable Luncheon

Martin's Crosswinds 7400 Greenway Center Drive, Greenbelt, MD, United States
Organizer: Maryland Space Business Roundtable (MSBR)

Luncheon Speaker / Topic TBA

Artemis 1, 2nd Observation of Mission

Nationwide USA
Organizer:

As USA and its international partners work toward Artemis 2 crewed mission around the Moon, Space Launch System and Artemis 1 mission is observed today for its successful uncrewed flight Nov 16 – Dec 11, 2022.

Dubai Airshow 2025

Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Organizer: Dubai Airshow

“Space” is one of 9 conference tracks. One speaker is Andreas Heitmann, Program Director, SpaceFounders, a space-tech accelerator, supporting 70+ startups from 20 countries that have collectively raised over €220 million.

Shenzhou-1, 26th Observation

China (Zhongguo)
Organizer:

As China and international partners plan permanently occupied International Lunar Research Station and next-gen rockets for Solar System Complete exploration, observation of 1999 launch of Shenzhou-1, first experimental crewed spacecraft honored today.

Swift Spacecraft Marks Another Year in Space

Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Organizer:

Observing gamma-ray bursts & their afterglows in gamma-ray, X-ray, ultraviolet, optical wavelengths from LEO, multiwavelength craft surpasses another year of operations in space today, launched in 2004.

International Lunar Sample Research Symposium 2025

Hong Kong, China
Organizer: Institute of Geology and Geophysics at Chinese Society of Astronautics (CSA)

Announcement International Lunar Sample Research Symposium 2025 (http://www.ilsrs.org)  After decades of lunar exploration since the Apollo era, lunar samples have become the largest treasure returned by human beings, as they have unlimited potentials to understand the Earth-Moon system. So far, lunar samples have been collected by USA’s Apollo-11, 12, 14, […]

Expand Space: A deep tech playground to spark your passion to profession

Marina Bay Sands / Sands Expo and Convention Centre , Singapore
Organizer: Space Faculty

Introducing youth to artificial intelligence, virtual reality, space, robotics. Includes WRO 2025: International Final events; follows regional robot competitions worldwide, for many ages and skill levels.

Launch Soyuz 2.1a / Progress MS-28

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Organizer: Roscosmos State Corporation

Will take crew to the International Space Station: cosmonauts Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergey Mikayev and Oleg Platonov, and NASA Astronaut Christopher Williams (a medical physicist on his 1st space flight); from spaceport operated by Russia within Kazakhstan.

NET Dec — Launch LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3) / Gaganyaan G1

Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India
Organizer: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Uncrewed 1st test flight for Gaganyaan orbital mission scheduled to occur before end of year, will carry fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster); 1st crewed flight planned for 2026. Will launch aboard a Human-rated Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (HLVM3). Re-entering capsule will slow to 8m / sec before landing.

Chang’E-5 Marks Another Year on Moon

Statio Tianchuan, 43° N 51.9° W, Moon Surface
Organizer:

China National Space Administration (CNSA) Chang'E-5 lander at Statio Tianchuan "ship sailing in the Milky Way", Mons Rümker, Oceanus Procellarum, Moon (43° N, 51.9° W), surpasses another full year on lunar surface today; landed on this day in 2020, with sample return launching from the Moon 2 days later.

AIAA 2025 Region VII Student Conference

Sydney, Australia
Organizer: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

Conference intended for AIAA Region VII Students from around the world except Canada and Mexico, which have been incorporated into AIAA North America Regions. Online component to accommodate students not able to travel to Australia to present their paper in-person at University of Sydney. AIAA Region VII Student Conference is […]

Hayabusa 2 Marks Another Year in Space

Asteroid 98943 Torifune Trajectory
Organizer:

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Hayabusa surpasses another full year in space today; launched Dec 3, 2014, returned samples to Earth in 2020, and now in extended mission to flyby asteroid 98943 Torifune in 2026 and rendezvous with 1998 KY26 in 2031.

XMM-Newton Marks Another Year in Space

Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Organizer:

European Space Agency (ESA) craft in Very Eccentric Elliptical LEO studying X-ray emissions, star-forming regions, galaxy clusters, environment of supermassive black holes, mapping dark matter, surpasses next full year in space today, launched 1999.

Maryland Space Business Roundtable Luncheon

Martin's Crosswinds 7400 Greenway Center Drive, Greenbelt, MD, United States
Organizer: Maryland Space Business Roundtable (MSBR)

Topic / Speaker TBA

Geminids Meteor Shower Peak

Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Organizer:

Appearing to radiate from constellation Gemini, shower can produce 80-130 meteors per hour; bright, medium-slow meteors (35 km/sec), few leave persistent trains; peak 00:00 UTC (Dec 13, 14:00 HST).

Chang’E-3 Lander Marks Another Year on Moon

Guang Han Gong, 44.12°N 19.51°W, Moon Surface
Organizer:

China National Space Administration (CNSA) spacecraft at Guang Han Gong "Moon Palace", Sinus Iridum / Mare Imbrium, 44.12°N 19.51°W, surpasses another full year on Moon surface, landed 2013.

WISE / NEOWISE Marks Another Year in Space

Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Organizer:

NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer spacecraft (redubbed Near-Earth Object WISE – NEOWISE) surpasses another full year in space today; launched 2009, went into hibernation February 17, 2011 and reactivated August 21, 2013.

Launch Soyuz 2.1a / Progress MS-33 (94P)

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
Organizer: Roscosmos State Corporation

Resupply mission to the International Space Station from spaceport operated by Russia within Kazakhstan.

Gaia Spacecraft Marks Another Year in Space

Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point
Organizer:

ESA spacecraft surpasses another full year in space today; now in extended mission phase working to map more than 1 billion stars; launched in 2013.

Family Overnight

Houston TX, USA
Organizer: Space Center Houston

Tent-camp by Falcon 9 rocket or Independence shuttle replica, and STEM activities.

$80

Ursid Meteor Shower Peak

Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Organizer:

Appearing to radiate from β star of Ursa Minor, Ursids are associated with comet 8P/Tuttle, they offer medium speed (33 km/sec), mostly faint with a few fireballs, 9-10 per hour, visible in northern Hemisphere 1 day before Last Quarter Moon; peak 14:00 UTC (00:00 HST).

Mars Express Marks Another Year in Mars Orbit

Mars Orbit
Organizer:

ESA spacecraft surpasses next full year in Mars orbit today; will continue to study Mars atmosphere & climate, planet structure, mineralogy, geology, and to search for traces of water; launched June 2, 2003 and arrived at Mars in Dec 2003.

NET 2026 – Launch Long March 10A / First Test Flight

Wenchang Space Launch Center, Hainan Island, China (19° N)
Organizer: China National Space Administration (CNSA)

Launch Long March 10A / First Test Flight: First flight of China Long March 10A rocket, precursor to Long March 10 intended to support crewed / cargo missions to the Moon with 2 launches, one for crew spacecraft Mengzhou and one for lander Lanyue that will rendezvous in lunar orbit; developed […]

NET 2026 – Launch Soorya / Gaganyaan G2

Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India
Organizer: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)

Launch Soorya / Gaganyaan G2: India planning for 1st crewed flight of Gaganyaan to LEO ~400 km.

NET 2026 — Launch Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Mission 2 & Elytra Dark orbital transfer vehicle

TBD
Organizer: Firefly Aerospace

NET 2026 — Launch Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Mission 2 & Elytra Dark orbital transfer vehicle, TBD: Firefly Aerospace second lunar lander mission under $112M NASA CLPS to land on lunar far side with NASA payloads (RadPC, LuSEE-Night telescope, JPL User Terminal (UT), Australia’s Seismic Payload for Interplanetary Discovery, Exploration, and Research (SPIDER) by […]

NET 2026 — Launch Electron / Venus probe 

Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
Organizer: Rocket Lab

NET 2026 — Launch Electron / Venus probe: Independent mission to Venus developed by Rocket Lab and MIT to send tiny probe flying in atmosphere for 5 minutes at altitude 48-60 km.

NET 2026 — Launch Martian Moons eXploration (MMX)

Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
Organizer: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

NET 2026 — Launch Martian Moons eXploration (MMX): Japan planning to launch its first Mars mission consisting of sample return probe; to conduct observations of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, collect Phobos sample, return to Earth.

Launch Falcon Heavy / Astrobotic Griffin Lander Mission 2

TBD
Organizer: SpaceX

NET 2026 — Launch Falcon Heavy / Astrobotic Griffin Lander Mission 2: Astrobotic Griffin planned to carry satellites to cislunar space and take commercial payloads to landing near Moon South Pole this year.

NET 2026 — Launch Atlas V / Starliner

SLC-41, Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USA
Organizer: United Launch Alliance (ULA)

NET 2026 — Launch Atlas V / Starliner: Next launch of Starliner crew vehicle set to occur "early 2026", unknown whether craft will carry crew on this mission.

247th Meeting of the AAS

Phoenix Convention Center Phoenix, AZ, United States
Organizer: American Astronomical Society (AAS)

The 247th AAS meeting (joint with the High Energy Astrophysics and Historical Astronomy Divisions) will be held 4-8 January in Phoenix, Arizona.

7th China-Chile Bilateral Astronomy Conference (CCBC2026)

Hong Kong, China
Organizer: University of Hong Kong Laboratory for Space Research (HKU-LSR)

The 7th China-Chile Bilateral Astronomy Conference for 2026 will be organized by the Laboratory for Space Research, FoS, the University of Hong Kong, in collaboration with the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chilean Astronomical Society, is scheduled to take place from January 5th to […]

AIAA SciTech Forum

Hyatt Regency Orlando Orlando, FL, United States
Organizer: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

AIAA SciTech Forum—the premier aerospace R&D event of the year exploring the science, technologies, and capabilities that are transforming aerospace.

Nichelle Nichols Space Camp

Huntsville AL, USA
Organizer: Nichelle Nichols Foundation

Offering space, aviation and robotics program for girls ages 14-18, inspiring young women to aim for the stars.

SPIE Photonics West Conference

San Francisco CA, USA
Organizer: Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

SPIE Photonics West and subconference on Optical Power Delivery, key to development of Space Solar Power.

Birthday of Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, born January 20, 1930

Montclair CA, USA
Organizer: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Although he went to the Moon with the name Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr., he legally changed his name later. His older sister Fay Ann, as a toddler, mispronounced "brother" as "buzzer" when he was born. He was the 2nd person to walk on the Moon, arriving as the Lunar Module […]

Celebrate STS-1 & STS-135 with Bob Crippen and Chris Ferguson

West Palm Beach FL, USA
Organizer: Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF)

NASA Astronauts Bob Crippen and Chris Ferguson will share personal highlights, stories and special moments of these historic flights, 45 years after STS-1 and 15 years after STS-135, at gala to raise funds for the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. At Marriott West Palm Beach. Only 38 individual tickets are available, and […]

$1,000

Apollo 1, 59th Observation

Nationwide USA
Organizer:

Increasing space awareness and education, remembrances and events honor three Apollo 1 crew members lost in 1967 during a launch pad test: Command Pilot Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward H. White and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee.

Challenger STS-51L, 40th Observation

Nationwide USA
Organizer:

Educational and ceremonial events held worldwide to advance space technology / education and honor 7 crew members killed in Shuttle accident 28 January 1986: Commander Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Astronaut Christa McAuliffe (the 1st ‘Teacher in Space’), Mission Specialists Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnick and […]

Explorer 1, 68th Observation

Nationwide USA
Organizer:

American Artemis Return to the Moon For Good is underway, Mars attention and planning advancing, Outer Solar System search for life ongoing, and Interstellar craft on outgoing trajectories while first USA satellite launch on this day in 1958 ‘Explorer 1’ is celebrated and remembered.

Celebrating 100 Years of Robert Goddard; Entries Due for The Goddard 100 Contest

Online
Organizer: National Space Society (NSS)

Entries Due by 11:59 UTC: Contest for youth ages 9-19 in three divisions, Junior, Intermediate and Senior, for storytelling via comic strip or infographic and essay, describing the future of space travel, space propulsion or interplanetary travel. Robert Goddard is called the father of modern rocketry, accomplishing the first flight […]

NET Feb — Launch SLS / Orion / Artemis 2

SLC-39B, Kennedy Space Center FL, USA
Organizer: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Planned 1st fully-crewed Orion Moon flight to last 10-14 days with 3 USA and 1 Canada Astronaut: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen; mission will also deploy numerous CubeSats.

Columbia STS-107, 23rd Observation

Nationwide USA
Organizer:

Annual international conferences and events take place to further space exploration efforts in remembrance of Columbia 7 loss: Commander Richard D. Husband, Mission Specialist Laurel Clark, Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon (the ‘1st Israeli astronaut’) and Astronauts: William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown and Kalpana Chawla (the ‘1st […]

Singapore Space Summit 2026

Marina Bay Sands / Sands Expo and Convention Centre , Singapore
Organizer: Office for Space Technology & Industry Singapore (OSTIn)

Space Summit 2026 is a space-focused conference with a boutique exhibition, highlighting trends, challenges and opportunities in the global space industry. As the only space show in Singapore endorsed by the Economic Development Board (EDB), the Office for Space Technology & Industry (OSTIn), supported by Singapore’s Defence Sciences and Technology […]