International Day of Human Space Flight

Quick Facts in the US

ℹ Hashtags	#SpaceFlight
Related Hashtags
2026 Date	April 12, 2026
2027 Date	April 12, 2027

2026 Holidays & Dates - US

Get Holiday reminders on X:

International Day of Human Space Flight in

Sunday, Apr 12

Days to go:

Updated 09:32

On this International Day of Human Space Flight, we celebrate humanity’s first flight into space made by Yuri Gagarin in 1961, as well as the first Space Shuttle launch in 1981. Now, it’s time to go back to the Moon and on to Mars with @NASAArtemis .
— NASA (@NASA) April 12, 2025

12 April is the International Day of Human Space Flight, declared by the UN General Assembly in 2011. The date commemorates the first human spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin on 12 April 1961. Meanwhile, post-Maidan Ukraine has been actively erasing references to him from public spaces Show more
— Marta Havryshko (@HavryshkoMarta) April 12, 2025

More than 60 years ago, history was made when the first human space flight took place. The groundbreaking event helped pave the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity. More on Saturday’s International Show more
— United Nations (@UN) April 12, 2025

International Day of Human Space Flight History

International Day of Human Space Flight seeks to celebrate the beginnings of the space era. According to the UN, this day aims to reaffirm the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals. It also aims to ensure that aspirations involving outer space remain peaceful. The first instance of humans exploring space was in 1961 when Soviet citizen Yuri Gagarin carried out the first human space flight.

International Day of Human Space Flight was established in 2011 by the UN General Assembly. It is observed annually on April 12th, a date honoring the first flight to space.

Facts about International Day of Human Space Flight

The first manned mission to land on the moon was Apollo 11. The mission was successfully completed on July 20, 1969 by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. They became the first humans in history to step on another planetary body.
NASA’s Artemis program hopes to land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024. They hope to work with commercial and international partners to establish sustainable exploration of the moon. Their goal after that is to send astronauts to Mars.
A full NASA space suit costs $12,000,000. About 70% of the cost is for the backpack and control module.