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The Planetary Society Weblog

By Emily Lakdawalla


Future Space Events of Note

This is a list of future space events that I'm planning to keep an eye on. I list space and major mission events going out several years, but meetings only for the upcoming year. Have any suggestions for additions?

2008

MRO over Mars November 18: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: End of primary science phase; transition to relay phase
Mars at a scale of 200 km/pixel

November 18-December 24: Mars solar conjunction

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

November 19: Cassini: Titan flyby (93TI or T47)

Tethys at a scale of 50 km/pixel

November 24: Cassini: distant Tethys flyby

Enceladus at a scale of 20 km/pixel

December 2: Cassini: distant Enceladus flyby

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

December 5: Cassini: Titan flyby (95TI or T48)

MEETING

December 15-19: American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California meeting website

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

December 21: Cassini: Titan flyby (97TI or T49)

Mars at a scale of 200 km/pixel

December 26: Mars equinox (beginning of northern fall)

2009

EVENT

All Year: International Year of Astronomy

MEETING

January 7-10: 213th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Long Beach, California

MEETING

January 12-13: Inaugural Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) meeting, Marriott Inn and Conference Center, University of Maryland SBAG website

Stardust January 14: Stardust: Earth flyby
Venus Express

January 22: Venus Express: End of extended mission

Rhea at a scale of 50 km/pixel

February 2: Cassini: distant Rhea flyby

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

February 7: Cassini: Titan flyby (102TI or T50)

Endeavour Launches

February 12: Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-119 mission to deliver final pair of solar arrays to space station

Dawn February 13: Dawn: Mars flyby
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Late February/early March: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCROSS: launch
MEETING

February 25: Sixth meeting of the Venus Exploration and Analysis Group (VEXAG), Houston, TX meeting website

MEETING

March 3-4 : Meeting of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group (MEPAG), Rosslyn, VA meeting website

Kepler

March 6: Kepler: launch

MEETING

March 10-14: 40th Meeting of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Houston, TX (new venue! Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center, near IAH.) meeting website

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

March 27: Cassini: Titan flyby (106TI or T51)

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

April 4: Cassini: Titan flyby (108TI or T52)

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

April 20: Cassini: Titan flyby (109TI or T53)

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

May 5: Cassini: Titan flyby (110TI or T54)

Endeavour Launches

May 12: Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope

Endeavour Launches

May 15: Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-127 mission to deliver final parts of Japanese Kibo module, the Exposed Facility and Experiment Logistics Module Exposed Section

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

May 21: Cassini: Titan flyby (111TI or T55)

LCROSS Some time in summer: LCROSS: Lunar impact
Kaguya Some time in summer: Kaguya: Lunar impact
Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

June 6: Cassini: Titan flyby (112TI or T56)

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

June 22: Cassini: Titan flyby (113TI or T57)

MEETING

June 7-11: 214th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Pasadena, California

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

July 8: Cassini: Titan flyby (114TI or T58)

Dione at a scale of 50 km/pixel

July 11: Cassini: distant Dione flyby

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

July 24: Cassini: Titan flyby (115TI or T59)

Tethys at a scale of 50 km/pixel

July 26: Cassini: distant Tethys flyby

Endeavour Launches

August 6: Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-128 mission to carry science and storage racks to the space station

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

August 9: Cassini: Titan flyby (116TI or T60)

Saturn from Earth, October 1996, Ring Opening Angle 3.8 Degrees

August 11: Saturn equinox (beginning of northern spring)

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

August 25: Cassini: Titan flyby (117TI or T61)

Saturn from Earth, October 1996, Ring Opening Angle 3.8 Degrees

September 5: Earth crosses Saturn's ring plane (rings vanish as seen from Earth)

Mars Science Laboratory September 15: Mars Science Laboratory: launch period opens
Saturn from Earth, October 1996, Ring Opening Angle 3.8 Degrees

September 15-20: Saturn solar conjunction

Dione at a scale of 50 km/pixel

September 20: Cassini: distant Dione flyby

MESSENGER

September 30: MESSENGER: Mercury flyby #3

  October: Phobos Grunt and Yinghuo-1: launch
Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

October 12: Cassini: Titan flyby (119TI or T62)

Rhea at a scale of 50 km/pixel Mimas at a scale of 20 km/pixel Tethys at a scale of 50 km/pixel

October 13-14: Cassini: distant Rhea, Mimas, and Tethys flybys

Fountains of Enceladus

November 2: Cassini: targeted Enceladus flyby (120EN or E7)

November 21: Cassini: targeted Enceladus flyby (121EN or E8)

Endeavour Launches

November 12: Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-129 mission to deliver lots of spare parts to the station, to be stored outside

Rosetta

November 13: Rosetta: Earth flyby #3

Rhea at a scale of 50 km/pixel

November 21: Cassini: distant Rhea flyby

Endeavour Launches

December 10: Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-130 mission to deliver final connecting node, Node 3, and "the Cupola, a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center that provides a 360-degree view around the station."

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

December 12: Cassini: Titan flyby (122TI or T63)

Tethys at a scale of 50 km/pixel

December 26: Cassini: distant Tethys flyby

Titan at a scale of 200 km/pixel

December 28: Cassini: Titan flyby (123TI or T64)

2010

Endeavour Launches

February 11: Space Shuttle Atlantis launches on STS-131 mission to deliver science racks to the space station. Unless plans change, this will be Atlantis' last flight.

Endeavour Launches

April 8: Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-132 mission to deliver spare parts and a Russian Mini Research Module to the space station. Unless plans change, this will be Discovery's last flight.

Endeavour Launches

May 31: Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-133 mission to deliver spare parts. Unless plans change, this will be Endeavour's last flight.

Hayabusa sampling Itokawa

June: Hayabusa: Possible return to Earth?

Rosetta

July 10: Rosetta: Asteroid Lutetia flyby

MEETING

July 18-25: 8th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space research (COSPAR), Bremen, Germany meeting website

Deep Impact

October 11: Deep Impact: Comet 103P/Hartley 2 flyby

2011

Stardust

February 14: Stardust: Flyby of comet Tempel 1

MESSENGER

March 18: MESSENGER: Mercury orbit insertion

New Horizons

March 22: New Horizons: Passes mean orbital distance of Uranus

Juno August 11: Juno: Launch period opens
Dawn October: Dawn: Vesta arrival

2012

MESSENGER

March 18: MESSENGER: End of nominal mission

Dawn May: Dawn: Vesta departure

2013

ExoMars rover

December 7: Exomars: Launch period opens

MAVEN

December?: MAVEN: Launch period opens

2014

Rosetta

May: Rosetta: Arrival at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

International Cometary Explorer

August 10: International Cometary Explorer: Return to Earth

New Horizons

August 29: New Horizons: Passes mean orbital distance of Neptune

ExoMars rover

June-September: Exomars: Mars landing

2015

New Horizons

April-August: New Horizons: Pluto/Charon flyby

New Horizons

August: New Horizons: Kuiper belt object targeting maneuver (will set up future Kuiper belt object flyby TBD)

Dawn February: Dawn: Ceres arrival
Dawn July: Dawn: End of nominal mission
Rosetta

December: Rosetta: End of nominal mission

2016

Juno August: Juno: Jupiter arrival

Past events »

Some Useful Sources of Calendar Information

The JPL Space Calendar, maintained by Ron Baalke
My Cassini-Huygens Tour Page
U.S. Naval Observatory: Earth's Seasons - Moon Phases -