Lighthouse in Greece.

Tags: Ancient greece, Navigation, Maritime History, Architecture

Compass in Han dynasty China

Tags: Han Dynasty, Navigation, Inventions, Discovery

Claudius begins construction of Portus, a harbour bearing a lighthouse on the right bank of the Tiber.

Tags: Roman Empire, Infrastructure, Trade, Claudius, Ancient rome, Maritime History, Construction

Diogenes, the Greek explorer, discovers the African Great Lakes.

Tags: Exploration, Ancient World, Geography, Roman Empire, Discovery, Cartography

Nero's exploration of the Nile: Emperor Nero sends an expedition which reaches the historical city Meroë (Sudan). (approximate date)

Tags: Roman Empire, Exploration, Nile River, Roman Emperors, Geography

The Roman Julius Maternus explores western Africa (approximate date).

Tags: Roman Empire, Exploration, Trade, Geography

Gan Ying, is sent as an emissary to Daquin (Rome), though he is turned back by the Parthians.

Tags: Diplomacy, Roman Empire, Han Dynasty, Silk Road, Trade, Exploration, Embassies, Parthian Empire

Butuan Boat One, the oldest known Balangay, a multi-purpose ship native to the Philippines is built.

Tags: Maritime History, Shipbuilding, Pre-colonial Philippines, Trade, Navigation

Dapunta Hyang Sri Jayanasa performed Siddhayatra as the journey to expand his influence. The event mentioned in several inscriptions such as Telaga Ba...

Tags: Srivijaya Empire, Maritime History, Political Expansion, Trade

The Sumatra-based Srivijaya naval kingdom flourishes and declines.

Tags: Maritime History, Monarchy, Naval Power, Trade, Political History, Srivijaya

– First known use of the drydock in China.

Tags: Maritime History, Shipbuilding, Song Dynasty

the Moroccan-born Muslim geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi publishes his Geography.

Tags: Geography, Cartography, Middle Ages, Scientific Advancement, Islamic Golden Age, Exploration

Sultanate of Malacca founded by Parameswara.

Tags: Sultanate, Malacca, Political Formation, Trade, Maritime History

The Sultanate of Sulu is established by Sharif ul-Hāshim.

Tags: Islam, Sultanate, Political Formation, Maritime History, Middle Ages, State Formation

Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão becomes the first European to enter the Congo.

Tags: Age of Exploration, Portuguese Empire, Colonialism, Atlantic Slave Trade, Maritime History

Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas from Spain.

Tags: Age of Exploration, Christopher Columbus, Spanish Empire, Columbian Exchange, European Colonization, Atlantic World, Indigenous Peoples, Discovery

Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas and agree to divide the World outside of Europe between themselves.

Tags: Treaty, Colonialism, Exploration, Age of Discovery, Papal Authority, Geopolitics, Imperialism

Manuel I succeeds John II as the king of Portugal (reigns until 1521).

Tags: Monarchy, Portuguese Empire, Renaissance, Exploration, Age of Discovery, Colonialism, Succession

Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal.

Tags: Exploration, Colonialism, Portuguese Empire, Age of Discovery

Christopher Columbus dies in Valladolid, Spain.

Tags: Exploration, Colonialism, Discovery, Age of Exploration, Spanish Empire, European Expansion, Atlantic World

Vasco Núñez de Balboa, in service of Spain arrives at the Pacific Ocean (which he called Mar del Sur) across the Isthmus of Panama. He was the first E...

Tags: Exploration, Discovery, Spanish Empire, Panama, Age of Exploration, Colonialism, New World, Maritime History

Juan Ponce de León sights Florida and Vasco Núñez de Balboa sights the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean.

Tags: Exploration, Discovery, Spanish Empire, Geography, Age of Exploration, Colonialism, Conquest

The first European diplomatic mission to Ethiopia, sent by the Portuguese, arrives at Massawa 9 April, and reaches the imperial encampment of Emperor ...

Tags: Diplomacy, Exploration, Portuguese Empire, Ethiopian Empire, Foreign Relations

Giovanni da Verrazzano is the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between South Carolina and Newfoundland.

Tags: Exploration, Age of Discovery, Cartography

Treaty of Zaragoza defined the antimeridian of Tordesillas attributing the Moluccas to Portugal and Philippines to Spain.

Tags: Treaty, Exploration, Colonialism, Treaties, Spice Trade, Geopolitics, Moluccas

Foundation of São Vicente, the first permanent Portuguese settlement in the Americas.

Tags: Colonization, Portuguese Empire, Settlement, Exploration, Colonialism, Atlantic World

Jacques Cartier claims Canada for France.

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Colonialism, French Empire, New France, North American History, Political Expansion

Foundation of Buenos Aires (in present-day Argentina) by Pedro de Mendoza.

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Spanish Empire, Settlement, Colonialism, New World

Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada founds Bogotá.

Tags: Colonialism, Exploration, Settlement, Spanish Empire, Conquest

Hernando de Soto explores inland North America.

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Spanish Empire, Age of Exploration, Conquest, Indigenous Peoples, Colonialism, Early American History

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado sights the Grand Canyon.

Tags: Exploration, Discovery, Geography, Spanish Empire, American Southwest, New World, Conquest, Indigenous Peoples

Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago in Chile.

Tags: Colonization, Chile, Spanish Empire, Conquest, Exploration, Colonialism, Imperialism

Amazon River is encountered and explored by Francisco de Orellana.

Tags: Exploration, Discovery, Amazon, Age of Exploration, Spanish Empire, Geography, Colonialism

Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the island of Samar and Leyte Las Islas Filipinas honoring Philip II of Spain and became the official n...

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Spanish Empire, Philip II, Political Geography

Tomé de Sousa establishes Salvador in Bahia, north-east of Brazil.

Tags: Colonization, Portuguese Empire, Settlement, Colonialism, Foundation, Capital City, Exploration, Governance

Floating Dry Dock in Venice, Venetian Republic

Tags: Venetian Republic, Naval Technology, Shipbuilding, Renaissance, Maritime History

Estácio de Sá establishes Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

Tags: Colonization, Portuguese Empire, Exploration, Colonialism, Urbanization

Spanish settlers outside New Spain (Mexico) colonize Florida's coastline at St. Augustine.

Tags: Colonization, Florida, Exploration, Colonialism, Spanish Empire, Settlement, New World, Indigenous Peoples

Gerardus Mercator creates the first Mercator projection map.

Tags: Cartography, Navigation, Geography, Mapping, Exploration, Age of Exploration, Renaissance, Global Trade

Mercator Projection map created by Gerardus Mercator

Tags: Cartography, Mapping, Navigation, Exploration, Maritime Trade, European Colonization

The British navigator Sir Francis Drake passes through Maluku and transit in Ternate on his circumnavigation of the world. The Portuguese establish a ...

Tags: Exploration, Colonialism, Spice Trade, Age of Exploration, European Colonization, Maritime History, Portuguese Empire, Ternate, Ambon

earliest known reference to the 'sailing carriage' in China.

Tags: Transportation, Maritime History, Mechanical Engineering

Colony at Roanoke founded in North America.

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Early America, English Empire, Colonialism, English Colonization, Elizabeth I

Backstaff: Invented by Captain John Davis.

Tags: Navigation, Exploration, Maritime History, Age of Discovery

William Barents discovers Spitsbergen.

Tags: Exploration, Arctic, Geography, Discovery, Maritime, Age of Discovery, Cartography, Maritime History

Matteo Ricci produces the Map of the Myriad Countries of the World (坤輿萬國全圖, Kūnyú Wànguó Quántú), a world map that will be used throughout East Asia f...

Tags: Cartography, Exploration, Ming Dynasty, Jesuits, Cultural Exchange, Global History, Matteo Ricci, Knowledge Dissemination

Willem Janszoon captained the first recorded European landing on the Australian continent, sailing from Bantam, Java, in the Duyfken.

Tags: Age of Discovery, Exploration, Dutch East India Company, Colonialism, Maritime History

Jamestown, Virginia, is settled as what would become the first permanent English colony in North America.

Tags: Colonialism, English Colonization, Early America, Virginia, British Empire, Exploration, Atlantic World

Quebec City founded by Samuel de Champlain in New France (present-day Canada).

Tags: Colonialism, Exploration, French Colonization, New France, Settlement, North American History

The Orion Nebula is identified by Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc of France.

Tags: Astronomy, Scientific Observation, Renaissance, Telescope, Discovery

Pedro de Peralta, governor of New Mexico, establishes the settlement of Santa Fe.

Tags: Colonialism, Spanish Empire, New Mexico, Settlement, Governance, Exploration, American Southwest

In a notorious but disputed incident, known as the 'Amboyna massacre', ten English and ten Japanese traders are arrested, tried and beheaded for consp...

Tags: Colonialism, East Indies, Spice Trade, Dutch East India Company, British East India Company, Maritime History, Massacre

Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman achieves the first recorded European sighting of New Zealand.

Tags: Exploration, Age of Discovery, Maritime History, Dutch Empire, Colonialism, Cartography

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek discovers Bacteria.

Tags: Microbiology, Scientific Revolution, Observation, Biology, Discovery

La Salle explores the length of the Mississippi River and claims Louisiana for France.

Tags: Exploration, French Colonization, Louisiana, New France, Colonialism

Thomas Godfrey and John Hadley independently develop the octant

Tags: Navigation, Astronomy, Scientific Revolution, Maritime History, Exploration

Europeans encountered rubber – the discovery was made by Charles Marie de La Condamine while on expedition in South America. It was named in 1770 by J...

Tags: Exploration, Natural History, Rubber, Discovery

Vitus Bering discovers Alaska

Tags: Exploration, Russian Empire, Alaska, Geography, Discovery, Imperialism, Maritime History

The problem of longitude was finally resolved by the fourth chronometer of John Harrison

Tags: Navigation, Maritime History, Scientific Innovation, Exploration, Age of Exploration, Measurement

Marine chronometer invented.

Tags: Navigation, Maritime History, Scientific Revolution, Exploration, Clockmaking, Age of Discovery, Precision Engineering

1779: James Cook mapped the boundaries of the Pacific Ocean and discovered many Pacific Islands

Tags: Exploration, Cartography, Age of Exploration, British Empire, Scientific Revolution, James Cook

1770: James Cook explores and maps New Zealand and Australia.

Tags: Exploration, Mapping, Age of Exploration, British Empire, Maritime History, Colonialism, James Cook, Cartography

James Cook stops at Onrust Island in the Bay of Batavia for repairs to his ship Endeavour on his voyage around the world.

Tags: Exploration, Voyages of Discovery, Maritime History, James Cook, Colonialism, Scientific Expedition

James Cook claims the East Coast of Australia (New South Wales) for Great Britain.

Tags: Colonialism, Exploration, British Empire, New South Wales, James Cook, Imperialism, Indigenous Australians

John Harrison H4 and Larcum Kendall K1 marine chronometers are used to measure longitude by James Cook on his second voyage (1772–1775).

Tags: Exploration, Navigation, Maritime History, Scientific Instruments, James Cook, Age of Exploration

24 April, the Royal Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences is established by a group of Dutch intellectuals; this institution is a pioneer of scientifi...

Tags: Enlightenment, Cultural Exchange, Exploration, Knowledge

James Cook becomes the first European to land on the Hawaiian Islands.

Tags: Exploration, European Colonization, Indigenous Peoples, British Empire, Hawaii, James Cook, Discovery, Maritime History

William Herschel announces discovery of Uranus, expanding the known boundaries of the Solar System for the first time in modern history.

Tags: Astronomy, Scientific Revolution, Planetary Science, Solar System, Discovery, Enlightenment, Telescope, Cosmology

First permanent European settlement established in Australia by Britain at Sydney.

Tags: Colonialism, British Empire, Exploration, Settlement, New South Wales, Indigenous Australians

Great Britain and Spain dispute the Nootka Sound during the Nootka Crisis.

Tags: Imperialism, Colonialism, Territorial Disputes, Diplomacy, Pacific Northwest, Trade, British Empire, Spanish Empire, Exploration

1795: George Vancouver explores the world during the Vancouver Expedition.

Tags: Exploration, Mapping, Royal Navy, Pacific Northwest, Cartography

Mungo Park, backed by the African Association, is the first European to set eyes on the Niger River in Africa.

Tags: Exploration, Geography, Colonialism, Imperialism

Lewis and Clark Expedition in western U.S.

Tags: Exploration, United States History, Mapping, Indigenous Peoples, Territorial Expansion

Hans Christian Ørsted discovers that a current passed through a wire will deflect the needle of a compass, establishing the deep relationship between ...

Tags: Physics, Electromagnetism, Electricity, Magnetism, Experimentation, Scientific Revolution, Discovery

1831–1836: Charles Darwin's journey aboard HMS Beagle.

Tags: Biology, Evolution, Natural History, Exploration, Voyages of Discovery, Charles Darwin, Scientific Revolution

HMS Challenger surveys the deepest point in the Earth's oceans, the Challenger Deep.

Tags: Oceanography, Exploration, Scientific Expedition, Mapping, Geography, British Empire

Asaph Hall discovers the moons of Mars.

Tags: Astronomy, Space Exploration, Planetary Science, Mars

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen invented the first radiograph (X-ray).

Tags: Medical Imaging, Physics, Discovery

J.J. Thomson discovers the electron in cathode rays

Tags: Physics, Particle Physics, Atomic Theory, J.J. Thomson, Scientific Revolution, Modern Science, Discovery

April 6: Robert Peary claims to have reached the North Pole though the claim is subsequently heavily contested.

Tags: Exploration, Polar Exploration, Controversy, Arctic, Geography

December 14: Roald Amundsen first reaches the South Pole.

Tags: Exploration, Polar Exploration, Geopolitics, Geography

The cloud chamber, the first particle detector, is invented by Charles Thomson Rees Wilson.

Tags: Physics, Particle Physics, Experimentation, Discovery, Scientific Revolution

Heike Kamerlingh Onnes: Superconductivity

Tags: Physics, Discovery, Scientific Breakthrough, Material Science, Nobel Prize

Robert H. Goddard launches the first liquid fueled rocket.

Tags: Space Exploration, Rocketry, Aviation

September 3: Accidental rediscovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming.

Tags: Medicine, Antibiotics, Discovery, Alexander Fleming, Healthcare, Infectious Diseases, Microbiology

Penicillin is first observed to exude antibiotic substances by Nobel laureate Alexander Fleming. Development of medicinal penicillin is attributed to ...

Tags: Medicine, Antibiotics, Discovery, Alexander Fleming

February 18: Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto.

Tags: Astronomy, Space Exploration, Planets, Astrophysics, Solar System, Discovery

First images of the Earth taken from space.

Tags: Space Exploration, Photography, Cold War

April 23: The Soviet Sever-2 expedition become the first party to indisputably set foot on the North Pole.

Tags: Polar Exploration, Arctic, Soviet Union, Cold War, Geopolitics, Scientific Expedition, Exploration

June 14: Albert II became the first mammal launched into space

Tags: Space Race, Aeronautics, Cold War, Space Exploration

May 29: First ascent of Mount Everest.

Tags: Exploration, Himalayas, Adventure, Summit

Antimatter first produced.

Tags: Physics, Particle Physics, Fundamental Particles, Experimental Physics, Discovery

October 4: Launch of Sputnik 1 and the beginning of the Space Age.

Tags: Space Race, Cold War, Soviet Union, Scientific Advancement, Space Exploration, Satellite, Geopolitics

November 3: Laika becomes the first animal launched into Earth orbit.

Tags: Space Race, Soviet Union, Cold War, Space Exploration, Scientific Advancement

The first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, is launched.

Tags: Space Race, Soviet Union, Cold War, Space Exploration, Satellite, Geopolitics

July 29: NASA formed.

Tags: Space Exploration, Space Race, Cold War, Scientific Advancement, Astronauts

October 7: The USSR probe Luna 3 sends back the first ever photos of the far side of the Moon.

Tags: Space Exploration, Cold War, Soviet Union, Moon, Astronomy, Space Race

January 22: First crewed descent to the deepest point on Earth, the Mariana Trench.

Tags: Exploration, Oceanography, Cold War, United States Navy

April 12: Yuri Gagarin, flying the Vostok 1 spacecraft as part of the Vostok program, becomes the first human in space.

Tags: Space Exploration, Space Race, Cold War, Soviet Union, Astronautics, Scientific Achievement

May 25: In an address to Congress, John F. Kennedy declares the United States' objective of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the...

Tags: Space Race, Cold War, John F. Kennedy, Exploration

Riccardo Giacconi and his team discover the first cosmic x-ray source, Scorpius X-1

Tags: Astronomy, Astrophysics, Cosmology, Space Exploration, Observational Astronomy

July 26: Launch of the first geostationary satellite, Syncom 2.

Tags: Space Race, Telecommunications, Cold War, Space Exploration, Communication

November 28: NASA launches the Mariner 4 space probe from Cape Kennedy toward Mars to take television pictures of that planet in July 1965.

Tags: Space Exploration, NASA, Mars, Space Race, Planetary Science, Cold War, Astronomy

Vela nuclear test detection satellites discover the first gamma-ray burst

Tags: Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Exploration, Cold War, Particle Physics

September – Zond 5 travels to the Moon with the first lifeforms to reach Earth's satellite

Tags: Space Exploration, Soviet Union, Cold War, Space Race, Moon, Biology, Astronautics, Scientific Advancement

December – Apollo 8 orbits the Moon with three NASA astronauts, becoming the first human spaceflight mission to enter the gravitational influence of a...

Tags: Space Exploration, NASA, Cold War, Space Race, Astronauts, Moon, Human Spaceflight

July 20: Apollo 11 Moon landing, in which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first two humans on the Moon.

Tags: Space Exploration, Cold War, Space Race, NASA, Astronauts, Lunar Exploration

July 12: Thor Heyerdahl's papyrus boat Ra II arrived in Barbados, bringing an end to its 3,200 mi (5,100 km) journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

Tags: Exploration, Archaeology, Oceanography

April 11: Apollo 13 (Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, Jack Swigert) is launched toward the Moon.

Tags: Space Exploration, NASA, Moon Landing, Cold War, Space Race, Astronauts

The first space station, Salyut 1, is launched.

Tags: Space Exploration, Space Race, Cold War, Soviet Union, Space Station, Astronomy

December 3: Pioneer 10 sends back the first close-up images of Jupiter.

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronomy, Jupiter, NASA, Planetary Science, Space Race

May 14: The first space station, Skylab, is launched.

Tags: Space Exploration, Space Race, Cold War, NASA, Astronauts, Space Station, Scientific Advancement

March 29: First close-up images of Mercury by Mariner 10. The Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang is discovered at Xi'an, China.

Tags: Space Exploration, Archaeology, Planetary Science, Qin Dynasty, Astronomy, Cultural Heritage, Celestial Bodies

August 20: Voyager 2 launched by NASA.

Tags: Space Exploration, NASA, Planetary Science, Voyager Program, Astronomy, Space Race, Exploration

June 22: Discovery of Pluto's moon Charon.

Tags: Astronomy, Space Exploration, Planetary Science, Kuiper Belt, Solar System, Celestial Bodies, Discovery

November 13: Voyager 1 takes the first close-up pictures of Saturn.

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronomy, Planetary Science, Voyager Program, NASA, Spacecraft

April 12: First orbital flight of the Space Shuttle.

Tags: Space Exploration, NASA, Space Shuttle Program, Aerospace Engineering, Cold War, Scientific Advancement

The first reusable spacecraft, the Space Shuttle undergoes test flights ahead of full operation in 1982.

Tags: Space Exploration, Aerospace Engineering, NASA, Space Race, Cold War, Orbital Mechanics

Donald C. Backer et al. discover the first millisecond pulsar

Tags: Astronomy, Astrophysics, Radio Astronomy, Space Exploration, Cosmology

September 1: 73 years after its infamous disaster, the wreck of the Titanic is found off the coast of Newfoundland by a joint French–American expediti...

Tags: Oceanography, Maritime History, Exploration, Shipwreck

January 24: First close-up images of the planet Uranus

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronomy, Planetary Science, Voyager Program, NASA, Solar System, Spacecraft

March: Return of Halley's Comet.

Tags: Astronomy, Comets, Space Exploration, Scientific Observation, Popular Culture

August 25: Voyager 2 makes its closest approach to Neptune and its largest moon, Triton.

Tags: Space Exploration, Voyager Program, Planetary Science, Astronomy, Spacecraft, NASA, Solar System

April 24 – May 20: Launch of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronomy, Telescopes, NASA, Astrophysics, Cosmology, Space Race

Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail observe the first pulsar planets (this was the first confirmed discovery of planets outside the Solar System)

Tags: Astronomy, Astrophysics, Exoplanets, Planetary Science, Solar System, Space Exploration

September 26: The first mission in Biosphere 2 ends after two years.

Tags: Environmental Science, Ecology, Space Exploration, Sustainability, Research

March 14: Astronaut Norman Thagard becomes the first American to ride into space aboard a Russian launch vehicle (the Soyuz TM-21), lifting off from t...

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronauts, International Cooperation, Cold War Legacy, NASA, Space Race

Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz definitively observe the first extrasolar planet around a main sequence star

Tags: Astronomy, Exoplanets, Planetary Science, Astrophysics, Space Exploration, Observational Astronomy, 20th Century Science

November 20: A Russian Proton rocket is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying the first segment of the International Space Sta...

Tags: Space Exploration, International Cooperation, Space Station, NASA, Cold War Aftermath, Aerospace

November 2: International Space Station begins operations; its first crew, composed of three men, arrives.

Tags: Space Exploration, Space Station, International Cooperation, Scientific Advancement, NASA, Astronauts, Orbital Mechanics

March 14: SpaceX is founded by Elon Musk.

Tags: Space Exploration, Aerospace, Commercial Space, Entrepreneurship

Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world.

Tags: Aviation, Exploration

Spirit and Opportunity land on Mars.

Tags: Space Exploration, Mars, Robotics, NASA, Planetary Science, Exploration

First surface images of Saturn's moon Titan.

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronomy, Planetary Science, Exploration

July 29: Michael E. Brown confirms the discovery of the dwarf planet Eris.

Tags: Astronomy, Planetary Science, Solar System, Space Exploration, Kuiper Belt

The first solar sail based spacecraft, IKAROS.

Tags: Space Exploration, Spacecraft, Aerospace Engineering, Astronomy

NASA launches spacecraft to visit Jupiter and Mars.

Tags: Space Exploration, NASA, Astronomy, Planetary Science, Jupiter, Spacecraft

Space Shuttle program is officially ended.

Tags: Space Exploration, NASA, Space Race, Aerospace Engineering, Cold War Legacy, Human Spaceflight, International Collaboration

The US rover, Curiosity, takes a selfie on Mars and finds evidence of an ancient streambed of water on the Red Planet.

Tags: Space Exploration, Mars, Planetary Science, Astronomy, Robotics, NASA, Geology

October 14: Skydiver Felix Baumgartner becomes the first person to break the sound barrier without a vehicle.

Tags: Aviation, Space Exploration, Physics

November 12: The Rosetta spacecraft's Philae probe becomes the first to successfully land on a comet.

Tags: Space Exploration, Comets, Astronomy, Spacecraft

Liquid water is found on Mars.

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronomy, Planetary Science, Mars, Astrobiology, NASA

First close-up images of Ceres and Pluto.

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronomy, Planetary Science, Solar System, NASA, Dwarf Planets

July 4: Juno enters orbit around Jupiter

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronomy, Planetary Science, NASA, Jupiter, Spacecraft

October 28: 'Oumuamua, the first known interstellar object, is identified.

Tags: Astronomy, Space Exploration, Discovery, Solar System, Cosmology

Gravitational wave signal GW170817 is observed by the LIGO/Virgo collaboration. This is the first instance of a gravitational wave event observed to h...

Tags: Astronomy, Astrophysics, Gravitational Waves, LIGO, Scientific Breakthrough, Cosmology, Space Exploration

October 18: NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Christina Koch conduct the first all-female spacewalk outside of the ISS.

Tags: Space Exploration, NASA, Astronauts, Gender Equality

New Horizons takes the first close up image of a classical kuiper belt object.

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronomy, Kuiper Belt, Planetary Science, Solar System, Spacecraft, NASA

Victor Vescovo breaks the human depth record, reaching 10,928 m in the Challenger Deep.

Tags: Oceanography, Exploration

January 3: Chang'e 4 becomes the first object to land on the far side of the Moon.

Tags: Space Exploration, Lunar Exploration, Astronautics, Scientific Achievement, Space Race, Aerospace

July 30: NASA successfully launches its Mars 2020 rover mission to search for signs of ancient life and collect samples for return to Earth.

Tags: Space Exploration, Mars, NASA, Astronomy, Planetary Science

Phosphine, a potential sign of life, was detected in Venus' atmosphere, while perfectly preserved remains of a cave bear dating back up to 39,500 year...

Tags: Astronomy, Paleontology, Venus, Microbiology, Discovery

October 20: NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft briefly touches down on 101955 Bennu, becoming the agency's first probe to retrieve samples from an asteroid,...

Tags: Space Exploration, NASA, Cosmology, Planetary Science, Exploration

December 18: Media outlets report that astronomers have detected a radio signal, BLC1, apparently from the direction of Proxima Centauri, the closest...

Tags: Astronomy, Space Exploration, Astrobiology

China launches Chang'e 5 and becomes the third country after the US and the Soviet Union to return samples of the moon.

Tags: Space Exploration, Lunar Exploration, Astronomy, Space Race

NASA and SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) discover about 12 US fl oz (350 ml) of surface water in one of the Moon's largest vi...

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronomy, Moon, NASA

May 30: Crewed spaceflight resumes in the United States for the first time since 2011.

Tags: Space Exploration, NASA, Space Race, Commercial Spaceflight, Space Shuttle Program, Space Station, SpaceX, Human Spaceflight

December 1: The Arecibo Telescope of the Arecibo Observatory collapses, just weeks after the announcement of its planned demolition.

Tags: Astronomy, Radio Astronomy, Space Exploration, Infrastructure

February 18: NASA's Mars 2020 mission (containing the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter drone) lands on Mars at Jezero Crater, after seven m...

Tags: Space Exploration, Mars, NASA, Aerospace

June 7: The Juno spacecraft performs its only flyby of Jupiter's moon Ganymede, the first flyby of the moon by any spacecraft in over 20 years.

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronomy, Jupiter, NASA

July 28: The first direct observation of light from behind a black hole is reported, confirming Einstein's theory of general relativity.

Tags: Black Holes, General Relativity, Albert Einstein, Astrophysics, Cosmology, Space Exploration, Relativity

April 19: Ingenuity becomes the first vehicle to fly in the atmosphere of another planet. Miguel Díaz-Canel becomes First Secretary of the Communist P...

Tags: Space Exploration, Mars, Aviation, Cuban Revolution, Communist Party

July 19: Blue Origin successfully conducts its first human test flight, with a reusable New Shepard rocket delivering four crew members into space inc...

Tags: Space Exploration, Commercial Spaceflight, Jeff Bezos

September 16: Inspiration4, launched by SpaceX, becomes the first all-civilian spaceflight, carrying a four-person crew on a three-day orbit of the Ea...

Tags: Space Exploration, SpaceX, Commercial Spaceflight

March 20: WHL0137-LS "Earendel" imaged by Hubble Space Telescope, the earliest and most distant known star.

Tags: Astronomy, Space Exploration, Stars, Cosmology, Astrophysics, Discovery

July 11: James Webb Space Telescope takes Webb's First Deep Field, oldest and highest resolution image of the universe to date.

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronomy, Cosmology, Astrophysics, Telescopes

September 26: Double Asteroid Redirection Test demonstrates capabilities on asteroid (65803) Didymos I Dimorphos.

Tags: Space Exploration, Astronomy, Aerospace Engineering, NASA

November 16: NASA launches Artemis 1, the first uncrewed mission of its Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever to reach orbit.

Tags: Space Exploration, NASA, Space Race, Exploration

August 23: ISRO's Chandrayaan 3 lands on the lunar south pole making India the 4th nation to successfully soft land on the Moon.

Tags: Space Exploration, Moon Landing, Space Race, Scientific Achievement

April 20: SpaceX conducts the first full stack test launch of the world's most powerful rocket, Starship.

Tags: Space Exploration, SpaceX, Commercial Space

November: Archaeologists announce discovery of Valeriana

Tags: Archaeology, Discovery, Research, Cultural Heritage

January 19: JAXA's first lunar probe, SLIM, lands on moon

Tags: Space Exploration, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Moon Landing

February 22: Intuitive Machines lands first private lunar probe, Nova-C, on moon

Tags: Space Exploration, Lunar Exploration, Space Race, Commercial Space, Aerospace, United States of America