360The space age
From the first rockets to the Moon and beyond. 13 moments, oldest first.
- 19574 October 1957
Sputnik, the first satellite, starts the space age
On 4 October 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the world's first artificial satellite. The metal sphere, about 58 centimetres wide, orbited the Earth every 96 minutes, sending radio beeps that people around the world could hear. It started the space age and the space race.
- 196112 April 1961
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person in space
On 12 April 1961, the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth once in the spacecraft Vostok 1, becoming the first human in space. The flight lasted 108 minutes. As he lifted off, he said, 'Poyekhali!', meaning 'Let's go!' His journey opened the era of human spaceflight.
- 196316 June 1963
Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space
On 16 June 1963, the Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova launched aboard Vostok 6 and orbited the Earth 48 times in almost three days. A former textile factory worker and amateur parachutist, she was 26. Her call sign was 'Chaika', meaning seagull. She remains the only woman to have flown a space mission alone.
- 196824 December 1968
Apollo 8 orbits the Moon and photographs 'Earthrise'
On 24 December 1968, Apollo 8 became the first crewed spacecraft to orbit the Moon. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders were the first people to see the far side with their own eyes. Anders photographed the Earth rising over the lunar horizon. 'Earthrise' became one of the most famous photographs ever taken.
- 196920 July 1969
Humans walk on the Moon for the first time
On 20 July 1969, NASA's Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. Hours later, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on its surface, followed by Buzz Aldrin, while Michael Collins orbited above. Hundreds of millions of people watched on television. The crew returned safely to Earth on 24 July, completing one of humanity's greatest journeys.
- 197720 August and 5 September 1977
NASA launches the two Voyager spacecraft
In August and September 1977, NASA launched Voyager 2 and Voyager 1 to explore the outer planets, using a rare alignment that occurs every 175 years. Together they visited Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Both have since entered interstellar space and are the most distant human-made objects. Each carries a golden record of sounds from Earth.
- 198517–24 June 1985
Prince Sultan bin Salman becomes the first Arab in space
On 17 June 1985, Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, becoming the first Arab astronaut. During the seven-day mission, the crew deployed a communications satellite for Arabsat. The flight was a proud moment for Saudi Arabia, and he later led the Saudi Space Commission.
- 199820 November 1998
The first part of the International Space Station is launched
On 20 November 1998, a Russian Proton rocket launched Zarya from Baikonur, the first module of the International Space Station. Weeks later, a US shuttle attached the Unity module. The first crew moved in on 2 November 2000, and people have lived aboard ever since. Built by five space agencies, it is the largest structure in orbit.
- 202321 May 2023
Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni fly to the space station
On 21 May 2023, Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni launched from Florida on the Ax-2 mission and became the first Saudis to visit the International Space Station. Barnawi, a biomedical researcher, became the first Saudi woman in space. During about eight days on the station, they carried out 14 scientific experiments.
- 2027Mid-2027 · Planned
Artemis III tests moon landers in Earth orbit
NASA plans Artemis III for mid-2027: a crewed mission of about two weeks in Earth orbit to practise meeting and docking with the two lunar landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin. NASA has said the mission is running behind schedule, so the date may slip. Its results will help decide which lander goes to the Moon first.
- 20282028 · Planned
Artemis IV aims to land astronauts on the Moon
NASA plans Artemis IV in 2028 as the first crewed Moon landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. Astronauts would travel on the Orion spacecraft and descend to the surface near the lunar south pole in a SpaceX or Blue Origin lander. Space schedules often slip, so the date is a target, not a promise.
- 2030Around 2030–2031 · Planned
The International Space Station is retired
NASA and its partners plan to retire the International Space Station around the end of 2030 and guide it to a controlled re-entry over a remote part of the Pacific Ocean in 2031. Commercial space stations are being developed to take over its role in orbit.
- 2035Around 2035 · Planned
LISA, an observatory for ripples in space, is due to launch
Around 2035, the European Space Agency, working with NASA, plans to launch LISA: three spacecraft flying in a triangle 2.5 million km on each side. Lasers between them will detect gravitational waves, tiny ripples in space-time from colliding giant black holes across the universe.