Lunaris Project: 
“Mayday, mayday”, scientists have been warning about the increase in space debris for several years. But we are light years away from an international treaty on the subject.
Make some noise! We need your voice to draw the attention of decision-makers and make a difference. Dive into the adventure with the Lunaris Project! Join us and share the Lunaris Project to amplify the cause!
Why? Because in the vast universe of opinions, yours can weigh in to steer the top leaders of space towards sustainability!
How can you participate in this mission? Easy! Coming soon: Adopt a space object, collect galactic cards, track/monitor the debris orbiting around Earth, and receive extraordinary gifts!
Too good to be true? No, not at all! Every funds given to the Lunaris Project is saved up to fund future actions that will allow the creation of a galaxy where space is respected. Make the counter explode!
Inform the public about
the importance of a sustainable
Space and the challenges that
arise from inaction. How ? :
- Social media
- Gamification
- Ambassadors (public figures)
Engage with all stakeholders (private and public) in the Space ecosystem to make sustainability a top priority, and facilitate the development of concrete solutions.
Promote a One Space Summit to share solutions and trigger political discussions for Space sustainability.
Inform the public about
the importance of a sustainable
Space and the challenges that
arise from inaction. How ? :
- Social media
- Gamification
- Ambassadors (public figures)
Engage with all stakeholders (private and public) in the Space ecosystem to make sustainability a top priority, and facilitate the development of concrete solutions.
Promote a One Space Summit to share solutions and trigger political discussions for Space sustainability.
Prevention is all about eco-design both to limit the depletion of natural resources and to reduce spacecraft construction costs (reuse, integration of recycled materials, etc.).
The development of technologies for repatriating spacecraft avoids debris and optimises their obsolescence, since they can be dismantled for reuse or recycling.
The collection of existing and future Space debris is essential to preserve and ensure the safety of the Space launch window, without which Space could no longer perform its current and future functions.
Prevention is all about eco-design both to limit the depletion of natural resources and to reduce spacecraft construction costs (reuse, integration of recycled materials, etc.).
The development of technologies for repatriating spacecraft avoids debris and optimises their obsolescence, since they can be dismantled for reuse or recycling.
The collection of existing and future Space debris is essential to preserve and ensure the safety of the Space launch window, without which Space could no longer perform its current and future functions.
No name & shame, no whistleblowing but promotion of a collaborative model that alone can foster viable solutions rapidly.
Space is a common good, like the ocean, calling on those who explore it to also preserve the opportunity it offers them and humanity. To achieve this, while playing its part in the fight against climate change and enviromental degradation, the Space industry must become circular.
THE HISTORY |
The history |
The space agencies |
The space agencies |
Key space launch site |
Key space launch site |
EVENTS |
Events |
FUN FACTS |
FUN FACTS |
Associations |
Associations |
Key space tourist |
Key space tourist |
Books and movies |
Books and movies |
Think back as far as you can, to the first few years of your childhood, maybe even to moments from your birth. How long ago was that?
Our Universe has been estimated by astronomers to be 13.7 billion years old. We are definitely not going to list everything that has happened in that time (because we couldn’t, even if we wanted to!) but we are going to tell you about some of the key Space milestones that have occurred since Humankind started exploring Space.
The world’s first artificial satellite. The Sputnik 1 satellite was launched by the USSR on 4 October 1957. It was the first man-made object to leave the Earth’s atmosphere. It weighed 180lb (83.5kg), and was described at the time as a « remarkable achievement. »
Rhesus monkey Able and squirrel monkey Baker became the first to successfully return to Earth after space flight. The monkeys survived 32 times the pull of Earth’s gravity and were weightless for 9 minutes out of their 16-minute flight.
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space, completing a108-minute orbit. Gagarin became a cultural hero in the Soviet Union. Even today, over six decades after this historic flight, he is still widely celebrated throughout Russia.
John Glenn becomes first American to orbit Earth, completing three orbits.
The spacecraft Mariner 2 reaches Venus, an Interplanetary First. Mariner 2 passes within 21,000 miles of Venus and begins transmitting data back to Earth, making it the first successful interplanetary spacecraft
Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, a former textile worker, became the first woman to be launched into space by the Soviet Union. She circled the Earth 49 times during three days in space, and was reportedly injured during the landing.
The first geosynchronous communications satellite, Syncom 2Offsite Link, was launched by NASA on a Delta rocket B booster from Cape Canaveral.
Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first person to leave a space capsule and, tethered to it, float freely in orbit – to space-walk. He was pilot of the Voskhod 2 mission, part of the Soviet Union’s attempt in competition with the US to reach the moon.
The first spacecraft pictures of Mars. Mariner 4 reached the planet Mars and took the first photos humans had ever seen of another world: 21 grainy black and white images, sent back through the distances of space.
The first death during a space mission. Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov is killed when his Soyuz I spacecraft crashes on return to Earth.
The first manned spacecraft to orbit moon, Apollo 8, comes within 70 miles of lunar surface. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders – became the first humans to orbit another world.
The first man on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Edwin « Buzz » Aldrin of Apollo XI spend 21 1/2 hours on the moon, 2 1/2 of those outside the capsule.
The first soft landing on Venus. Soviet Union launched Venera 7, a spacecraft that would eventually become the first probe ever to send data from the surface of Venus,
The first space station is launched. Russia launched Salyut, the first space station. The first crew to dock with the orbiting outpost later die during re-entry when the air leaks out of their Soyuz capsule. Three cosmonauts are Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev
Mariner 9 entered orbit around Mars, the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. Mariner 9’s primary 90-day mission included mapping up to 70% of Mars and recording changes in the planet’s atmosphere and surface over timehen the air leaks out of their Soyuz capsule. Three cosmonauts are Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev
The first spacecraft to soft-land on Mars. Mars 3 successfully landed on the Martian surface becoming the first spacecraft to successfully complete a soft landing on another planet.
Apollo 17 mission that includes the longest and last stay of man on the moon: 74 hours, 59 minutes—by astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt.
03 Dec 1973: The first spacecraft to fly by Jupiter. Pioneer 10, launched in 1972, was an unmanned NASA spacecraft which encountered the planet Jupiter
The first international docking in space. U.S. astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts participate in Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, docking together in space for two days. The Soyuz and Apollo flights launched within seven-and-a-half hours of each other on 15 July 1975, and docked on 17 July 1975.
The first photograph ever taken on the surface of the planet Mars. It was obtained by Viking 1 just minutes after the spacecraft landed successfully landing on Mars in July 1976.
The first spacecraft (Pioneer 11) to fly by Saturn.
The first reusable spacecraft launched and returned from space. Space shuttle Columbia was the first shuttle to reach space when it was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Columbia carried dozens of astronauts into space during the next two decades, reaching several milestones. The shuttle also underwent upgrades as technology advanced.
The first reusable spacecraft launched and returned from space. Space shuttle Columbia was the first shuttle to reach space when it was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Columbia carried dozens of astronauts into space during the next two decades, reaching several milestones. The shuttle also underwent upgrades as technology advanced.
Challenger shuttle explodes 73 seconds after launch, killing its crew of seven.
Soviets launch their first space shuttle. The 3-hour, 20- minute flight of the shuttle Buran is unmanned.
Cosmonauts Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov return to Earth from Soviet space station Mir after man’s longest space flight – 365 days, 22 hours, 39 minutes.
The first spacecraft to fly by Neptune. NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft made a close flyby of Neptune. It gave humanity its 1st close-up of our solar system’s 8th planet. It also marked the end of the Voyager mission’s Grand Tour of the solar system’s 4 giant planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune
The first large optical space telescope launched. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most versatile, renowned both as a vital research tool and as a public relations boon for astronomy.
Norman Thagard becomes first American to be launched on a Russian rocket. Two days later, he becomes first American to visit the Russian space station Mir.
The first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter. Galileo explored Jupiter and its moons. Upon arrival at Jupiter in December 1995, the Galileo spacecraft delivered a probe that descended into the giant planet’s atmosphere
Discovery becomes first shuttle to dock with the international space station, a multinational, permanent, orbiting research laboratory.
The first resident crew to occupy the International Space Station. NASA Astronaut Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev become the first crew to reside onboard the station. The arrival of Expedition 1 marked the beginning of a new era of international cooperation in space and of the longest continuous human habitation in low Earth orbit, which continues to this day.
The flight controllers landed NASA’s NEAR spacecraft on an asteroid called Eros. NEAR was the first spacecraft to orbit and touchdown on the surface of an asteroid.
Shuttle Columbia breaks apart over Texas, 16 minutes before it was supposed to land in Florida. This incident killed the seven astronauts on board.
The first privately funded manned spacecraft to achieve suborbital flight above 100 km (62 miles). SpaceShipOne was a space plane designed and fabricated by Scaled Composites, a company owned by aerospace designer Burt Rutan.
The first spacecraft to orbit Saturn. After a seven-year journey, NASA’s Cassini probe has become the first spacecraft ever to orbit the giant ringed planet Saturn.
The first spacecraft to land on the moon of a planet other than Earth (Saturn’s moon Titan). The Huygens probe made a historic journey of approximately 2.5 hours through Titan’s hazy atmosphere to the surface.
The first spacecraft to return to Earth with samples from an asteroid. Hayabusa2 is a follow-up to Japan’s original Hayabusa mission, which was the first spacecraft to take samples from an asteroid, and was also the first mission to successfully land and take off from an asteroid. It returned samples from asteroid 25143 Itokawa to Earth.
The first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft successfully achieved orbit around Mercury at approximately 9 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 17. This marks the first time a spacecraft has accomplished this engineering and scientific milestone at our solar system’s innermost planet
The Final space shuttle mission ends when Atlantis arrives at Kennedy Space Center. It was the 33rd voyage for Atlantis, and the 135th for NASA’s reusable winged spaceships. The 30-year space shuttle program, which began with the launch of Columbia on April 12, 1981, is at a close.
The first spacecraft to orbit a comet. The Rosetta spacecraft followed a 10-year mission to catch a comet and land a probe on it. Launched in 2004, the spacecraft arrived at its target, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
The first spacecraft to orbit a dwarf planet (Ceres) NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has become the first mission to achieve orbit around a dwarf planet. The spacecraft was approximately 38,000 miles (61,000) kilometers from Ceres when it was captured by the dwarf planet’s gravity at about 4:39 a.m. PST (7:39 a.m. EST) Friday.
The first spacecraft to fly by Pluto. NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft passed distant Pluto on this date, sweeping only about 7,750 miles (12,472 km) above its surface. The fast-moving spacecraft had traveled almost 10 years and 3 billion miles (5 billion km) to reach Pluto.
The first rocket stage to return to its launch site. SpaceX successfully landed its Falcon 9 rocket after launching it to space. It’s the first time SpaceX has been able to gently touch down the Falcon 9 post-launch — something the company has been trying to do for the past year
The farthest object (2014 MU69) explored by a spacecraft. New Horizons made a flyby of the most distant solar system object ever explored, the Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69, also known as Arrokoth
The first landing on the Moon’s far side. Chang’e-4 probe launched to the moon on Dec. 8, 2018 (opens in new tab) and made the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon on Jan. 3, 2019. The spacecraft touched down in in the Von Kármán crater at the lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin, where they have been ever since.
Researchers released the initial results of NASA’s InSight lander on Mars. Covering the first 10 months of the mission, the findings included the conclusion that the Red Planet is seismically active.
China Launches First Independent Mission to Mars. The Tianwen-1 lifted off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch site on China’s southern Hainan Island aboard a Long March 5 rocket
China successfully lands spacecraft on moon to retrieve lunar rocks. China launched its Chang’e-5 probe on Nov. 24. The mission will attempt to collect 2 kg (4-1/2 lbs) of samples in a previously unvisited area in a massive lava plain known as Oceanus Procellarum, or “Ocean of Storms”.
NASA’s Perseverance rover is scheduled to land on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021. It will search for signs of habitable conditions on Mars in the ancient past, and for signs of past microbial life itself.
NASA announced it will launch two missions to Venus by 2030. One mission, called DAVINCI+ (short for Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging, Plus) will descend through the planet’s atmosphere to learn about how it has changed over time. The other mission, VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) will attempt to map the planet’s terrain from orbit like never before.
23 Jun 2021: The ‘megacomet’ Bernardinelli-Bernstein is the find of a decade. Two researchers (Even Pedro Bernardinelli and Gary Bernstein) unexpectedly discovered the largest-known comet to date.
Discovery of Jupiter’s new moon. The moon has been named EJc0061. It belongs to the Carme group of Jovian moons. Kai Ly reported the discovery to the Minor Planet Mailing List on June 30th and has submitted it for publication as a Minor Planet Electronic Circular.
Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson faced off against Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos to be the first non-professional astronaut to complete a suborbital spaceflight.
A Russian crew shot the first feature film in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2021. Filming is underway on the first feature-length movie to be shot in space after Russian actor Yulia Sherepild and director Klim Shipenko docked at the International Space Station. Their movie, The Challenge, will feature around 35-40 minutes of scenes filmed on the space station, according to The New York Times.
SpaceX kicked off 2022 with Starlink launch. The company sent 49 Starlink satellites into Earth’s orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, bringing its grand satellite total to just under 2,000.
Axiom-1 launched first all-private crew to ISS. The team consists of former NASA astronaut and Axiom Vice President Michael López-Alegría as commander; American entrepreneur and nonprofit activist investor Larry Connor as pilot; Canadian investor and philanthropist Mark Pathy; and Israeli impact investor and philanthropist Eytan Stibbe, according to Axiom’s website.
SpaceX’s Crew-4 blasts off. SpaceX’s all-private Crew-4 mission left for a trip among the stars aboard the agency’s Crew Dragon capsule. The four astronauts took residence on the ISS, and Jessica Watkins, a mission specialist, became the first Black woman to be a long-term crew member aboard the station.
First of six missions to complete Tiangong space station. The Shenzhou XIV, which will carry three astronauts in June for a six-month mission to Tiangong, was moved to the launchpad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia
Rocket Lab launched NASA’s Capstone mission. CAPSTONE, an acronym for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, is a low-cost mission that represents the first launch under NASA’s Artemis lunar program. The mission will verify that a specific type of moon orbit is suitable for a space station that the agency aims to launch later this decade
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured the first clear evidence for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of a planet outside the solar system. This observation of a gas giant planet orbiting a Sun-like star 700 light-years away provides important insights into the composition and formation of the planet.
Rocket Lab launched NASA’s Capstone mission. CAPSTONE, an acronym for Cislunar NASA has rescheduled the next attempt to launch the Artemis 1 mission for Sept. 3 after concluding that a faulty temperature sensor may be at the root of the problem that scrubbed the first launch attempt.
Andoya Space Center |
Esrange Space Center |
Baikonour Cosmodrome |
Guiana Space Center |
Vostosny Cosmodrome |
Here we are, your favourite part of the Lunaris Project website!
Here you can find the best of our hand-picked list of fun facts, covering all sorts of space-related topics, from statistics to “did you know? », impressive dates and facts to surprise your friends with.
If you would like to add to this page and have your favourite fun facts featured today, do not hesitate to get in contact by email by putting “Fun Facts” in your subject and submitting your ideas.
Happy reading!
* The global space economy’s value reached $424 billion in 2020, having expanded 70% since 2010.
* The space industry should reach $1 trillion in annual revenue by 2040, with launch costs dropping 95%, according to Citigroup analysts
* The global space debris monitoring and removal market size was $803.44 million in 2020.
* The global space debris monitoring and removal market is projected to grow from $866.42 million in 2021 to $1,362.67 million in 2028 at a CAGR of 7.84%.
* As of May 1, 2022: Earth has more than 5,465 operational satellites currently in orbit (Low Earth Orbit (LEO): 4,700; Medium Earth Orbit (MEO): 140; Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO): 60; Geostationary orbit (GEO): 565)
* As of May 1, 2022: Top 3 Countries with the most Satellites Orbiting Earth: United States (3,433); China (541); Russia (172) and Other (1,319)
Vienna, Virginia, United States
* Zero-gravity atmospheric flights, orbital spaceflights (with the option to participate in a spacewalk), Circumlunar Mission, and other spaceflight-related experiences including cosmonaut training, spacewalk training, and launch tours.
* Clients who have flown in space: Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, Gregory Olsen, Anousheh Ansari, Charles Simonyi, Richard Garriott, Guy Laliberté, Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano. Source: https://spaceadventures.com/experiences/space-station/
* Spaceflight Price:
– Space tourists to the far side of the moon at the cost of US$150 million per person by 2017. (Source: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2014/06/03/russia-to-fly-two-tourists-around-the-moon-by-2017-a36121)
– Space tourists to ISS (International Space Station): US$ 52 million by 2015. (source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/may/14/sarah-brightman-calls-off-flight-international-space-station)
Mojave, California, United States
*A modified space plane flight: passengers will board the VSS Unity. They’ll ascend to space, separate from the mother plane and rocket up to the edge of space. On the descent, they’ll experience weightlessness and get to view the curve of the earth
* Current ticket Price for Spaceflight: US$ 450K per seat (Initial Deposit: US$ 150K, Final Deposit: US$ 300K) for 90-minute flight. Passengers will reach an altitude of more than 50 miles and experience roughly four minutes of weightlessness before returning to Earth. (Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2022/02/15/virgin-galactic-tickets-space-trip/6795121001/)
* Virgin Galactic has sold 700 more space tickets. From 2005-2014, some 600 customers have paid US$ 200K – US$ 250K. (Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/virgin-galactic-has-sold-700-more-space-tickets/articleshow/87610527.cms?from=mdr)
Kent, Washington, United States
* Sub-orbital space travel tourism. Their offering is based around a more traditional rocket, known as the New Shepard, which takes off and lands vertically, and their objectives are to build towards orbital spaceflight. (source: https://www.revfine.com/space-tourism/)
* Blue Origin use rockets and passenger capsules to send space tourists to the edge of space. They’ll board the passenger capsule atop a New Shepard rocket, ascend to roughly 300,000ft in elevation, then experience weightlessness as they begin their descent back to earth. (source: https://spacetourismguide.com/space-tourism-companies/)
* Price Ticket for Spaceflight: US$0 – US$ 28 Million per seat, depends on variety of factors. (Source: https://observer.com/2022/06/blue-origin-space-tourism-pricing-marketing/)
* Clients who have flown in space:
– Mar 31, 2022: Blue Origin’s NS-20 mission (Sharon Hagle, Marty Allen, Marc Hagle, Jim Kitchen, George Nield, Gary Lai). (Source: https://www.space.com/blue-origin-ns-20-spaceflight-meet-the-crew)
– Aug 4, 2022: Blue Origin’s NS-22 mission (Coby Cotton, Mário Ferreira, Sara Sabry, Clint Kelly III; Steve Young; and Vanessa O’Brien). (Source: https://www.space.com/blue-origin-ns-22-space-tourist-flight-success)
Two premier satellite industry events join forces.
Satellite Innovation (Oct 11-12) will be an analysis of next-generation satellite technologies and the current business environment.
MilSat Symposium (Oct 13-14) will foster new channels of communication between national space defense and industry.
Invited speakers ranging from high-ranking policymakers and investors to industry executives and founders will discuss ways to best leverage and build upon the momentum commercial solutions are providing to European space activities and how emerging commercial perspectives support the development of European leadership on global markets.
Explore the future of the space-based business solutions including new tools for communications, earth observation, and space science. The event combines the latest in forward-looking innovations with practical applications that translate customer problems into real-world technical solutions.
University of Arizona Center for Outreach & Collaboration, Washington, DC, United States
The Symposium will examine U.S. and international near-term policies that will best enable economically vibrant communities beyond Earth. Topics to be covered at the Symposium include:
Policy Challenges of Commercial Space Stations – the First Rung Toward Space Habitation
Achieving Safety and Reliability in Human Spaceflight – The Basic Requirement for a Human Existence Beyond Earth
Toward a Cislunar Ecosystem with Human Presence – The Underpinning for Permanent Lunar Communities
Advanced Financing Models for Large Scale Space Infrastructure and Habitation
World Satellite Business Week has for 25 years served as the quality platform where influential executives and forward-thinking leaders from private and public space organizations from 50+ countries gather to address critical issues, share insights and best practices, conduct business, and shape the future of the industry. 95% of the global commercial satellite business present, the WSBW is widely acknowledged as the must-attend event by the industry’s key players.
Leading and pioneering organizations share insights on the latest space and satellite sector topics such as finance, the future of launch, cloud and connectivity, insurance, constellations, Earth Observation, digital transformation, GSaaS and much more.
The largest three-day annual gathering of the Asia Pacific satellite and space community, is the defining platform that brings the professionals of the satellite and space industry together for market insight, striking partnerships and concluding business deals.
The 2022 GSSF will feature leading commercial and government satellite operators, satellite manufacturers, satellite servicing providers, policy leaders, financial and insurance experts, and media from around the world highlighting key themes in the satellite serivicing segment including:
how satellite servicing is currently supporting space-sector growth
promising opportunities and critical needs for the future growth in in-space activites
operational experience and results leading to sustained satellite serivicing operations
‘Creating a vibrant aerospace ecosystem in Aotearoa New Zealand’ with the theme Aerospace Nation. The Summit is designed to inspire innovation, showcase national aerospace capabilities, and maximise networking opportunities.
Farnborough international Exhibition & Conference Centre, United Kingdom
New trade exhibition showcasing the commercial future of space for business, defence, and aerospace. This strategically important event showcases the manufacturing supply chain for products, services and solutions supplying commercial enterprises and developments in space.
Hybrid (Virtual or Guhem Aeroscape & Aviation Training Center, Bursa, Turkey)
ISC 2022 is a hybrid event where you can attend in-person or online and get an exclusive 3-day access to over 95 lectures from over 100 world-renowned space industry speakers and experts, ranging from government space agencies to private space companies discussing different topics of space sustainability, rising trends, advances and concepts in space industry and many other great topics.
A free, international space & robotics event combining competition of martian rovers with scientific and technological shows.
World Satellite Business Week has for 25 years served as the quality platform where influential executives and forward-thinking leaders from private and public space organizations from 50+ countries gather to address critical issues, share insights and best practices, conduct business, and shape the future of the industry. 95% of the global commercial satellite business present, the WSBW is widely acknowledged as the must-attend event by the industry’s key players.
Leading and pioneering organizations share insights on the latest space and satellite sector topics such as finance, the future of launch, cloud and connectivity, insurance, constellations, Earth Observation, digital transformation, GSaaS and much more.
The Space industry is supported by scientists, researchers, investors, and fans of course, but there is a key support network of associations and federations that also keep the Space industry flying high :
