April Marks International Day of Human Space Flight

April 12 marks the International Day of Human Space Flight.

The day sheds light on the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes.

On this day in 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin successfully made a full orbit around Earth aboard the Vostok-1 spacecraft establishing his legacy as the first human to venture into space aboard the Vostok-1 spacecraft.

In fact, his historic flight paved the way for another USSR cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova to become the first woman to orbit the Earth on 16th June 1963, and American astronaut Neil Armstrong the first human to set foot upon the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969.

It also clear the way for the docking of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft on 17 July 1975, the first international human mission in space.

In April 2011, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) announced April 12 as the ‘International Day of Human Space Flight’ to observe each year at the international level the beginning of the space era for mankind.