2019 in spaceflight#April

|+ List of orbital launches

!width=25%|Month

!Num. of successes

!Num. of failures

! colspan=1 | Total

| New Horizons

| Flyby of Kuiper belt object 486958 Arrokoth

| The observed planetesimal, consisting of two spheroid pieces, was initially nicknamed Ultima Thule.

| Chang'e 4

| Landing at Von Kármán crater

| First landing on the far side of the Moon, coordinates {{coord|45.457|S|177.589|E|globe:Moon}}.

| Juno

| 18th perijove of Jupiter

|

|Hayabusa2

| First sample collection from asteroid Ryugu{{cite web |last=Davis |first=Jason |url=http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/hayabusa2-updates-sample-collection.html |title=Hayabusa2 team sets date for sample collection, considers two touchdown sites |work=Planetary Society |date=16 January 2019 |access-date=11 March 2019}}

|

| nowrap | Parker Solar Probe

| Second perihelion

|

| Beresheet

| Lunar orbital insertion

|

|Hayabusa2

| Release of Small Carry-On Impactor (SCI) on the surface of Ryugu

| SCI created a crater for further investigation. A dedicated DCAM-3 camera was deployed to observe the impact.

| Juno

| 19th perijove

|

| Beresheet

| Lunar landing

| Crashed due to gyroscope failure{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/11/science/israel-moon-landing-beresheet.html |title=Israel's Beresheet Spacecraft Moon Landing Attempt Appears to End in Crash |date=11 April 2019 |first=Kenneth |last=Chang |work=The New York Times |access-date=12 April 2019}}

| Juno

| 20th perijove

|

|Hayabusa2

| Second sample collection from Ryugu

|

| Juno

| 21st perijove

|

| nowrap | Chandrayaan-2

| Lunar orbital insertion

|

| Parker Solar Probe

| Third perihelion

|

| Chandrayaan-2

| Lunar landing

| Vikram lander crashed after it lost attitude and contact at an altitude of 2.3 km.{{cite web |last=McDowell |first=Jonathan |url=http://planet4589.org/space/jsr/back/news.769.txt |title=Jonathan's Space Report No. 769 |work=Jonathan's Space Report |date=22 September 2019 |access-date=6 October 2019}}

| Juno

| 22nd perijove

|

| Hayabusa2

| Deployment of ROVER-2 (MINERVA-II-2)

| Rover failed before deployment, it was deployed in orbit around the asteroid to perform gravitational measurements before it impacted on 8 October.

| Juno

| 23rd perijove

|

| Hayabusa2

| Departure from Ryugu

|

| Parker Solar Probe

| Second gravity assist at Venus

|

| Juno

| 24th perijove

|

|6 hours

39 minutes

| 18:40

|Expedition 59

ISS Quest

|{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Anne McClain

{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Nick Hague

|

• connected 3 new Li-ion batteries to replace 6 old Ni-H batteries on power channel 4A of the P4 truss segment.{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/03/22/spacewalkers-complete-battery-swaps-for-station-power-upgrades/|title=Spacewalkers Complete Battery Swaps for Station Power Upgrades – Space Station|website=blogs.nasa.gov|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-30|archive-date=2 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200602183810/https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/03/22/spacewalkers-complete-battery-swaps-for-station-power-upgrades/|url-status=dead}}
• cleaned up debris on Unity's common berthing mechanism using Kapton tape {{Cite web|url=https://www.space.com/spacewalking-astronauts-upgrade-space-station-power-grid-exp59.html|title=Spacewalking Astronauts Swap Space Station Batteries in Power Upgrade|last=Weitering|first=Hanneke|date=22 March 2019|website=Space.com|access-date=29 March 2019}}
• secured a tieback for restraints on the solar array blanket box.

| 6 hours

45 minutes

| 18:27

|Expedition 59

ISS Quest

|{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Nick Hague

{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Christina Koch

|

• connected 3 new Li-ion batteries to replace 6 old Ni-H batteries on power channel 2A of the P4 truss segment.
• disconnected cables and relocated an adapter plate to enable Canadarm2 to remove a failed Li-ion battery.{{Cite web|url=https://www.space.com/spacewalking-astronauts-replace-old-station-batteries-exp59.html|title=Spacewalking Astronauts Replace Old Batteries on Space Station|last=Weitering|first=Hanneke|date=29 March 2019|website=Space.com|access-date=29 March 2019}}

| 6 hours 29 minutes

| 18:00

|Expedition 59

ISS Quest

|{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Anne McClain

{{#invoke:flag|icon|Canada}} David Saint-Jacques

|

• installed jumper cables between the Unity module and the S0 truss to establish redundant power to Canadarm2.
• installed cables to provide for more expansive wireless communications coverage outside the orbital complex.
• relocated an adapter plate from the 22 March spacewalk in preparation for future battery upgrade operations{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/04/08/u-s-and-canadian-astronauts-wrap-up-power-upgrades-spacewalk/|title=U.S. and Canadian Astronauts Wrap Up Power Upgrades Spacewalk – Space Station|website=blogs.nasa.gov|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-09|archive-date=2 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200602183722/https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/04/08/u-s-and-canadian-astronauts-wrap-up-power-upgrades-spacewalk/|url-status=dead}}

| 6 hours 1 minute

| 21:43

|Expedition 59

ISS Pirs

|{{#invoke:flag|icon|Russia}} Oleg Kononenko

{{#invoke:flag|icon|Russia}} Aleksey Ovchinin

|

• removed experiments from the Pirs docking compartment and cleaned the windows.
• installed a handrail to connect Zarya to Poisk and re-positioned the Plume Measuring Unit.
• moved to the Zvesda Service Module and removed and jettisoned the Plasma Monitoring Units.
• wished happy birthday to Alexei Leonov who is the first spacewalker and is celebrating his 85th birthday on 30 May. Also brought a picture of Leonov into space with them.

|6 hours 32 minutes

|18:59

| Expedition 60

ISS Quest

|{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Nick Hague

{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Andrew R. Morgan

|

Hague and Morgan installed the final International Docking Adapter on the Harmony Module. The task for this spacewalk was identical to Spacewalk 194 and required work by both spacewalkers and Dextre to get the docking port installed in preparation for the Boeing CST-100 Starliner orbital flight test, which will occur by the end of December. The crew also routed cables and installed Wi-Fi routers for upcoming experiments.{{cite web |last=Garcia |first=Mark |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/08/21/spacewalkers-complete-installation-of-second-commercial-docking-port/ |title=Spacewalkers Complete Installation of Second Commercial Docking Port |publisher=NASA |date=21 August 2019 |access-date=23 November 2019 |archive-date=2 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200602183325/https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/08/21/spacewalkers-complete-installation-of-second-commercial-docking-port/ |url-status=dead }}

| 7 hours 01 minutes

|18:40

|Expedition 61

ISS Quest

|{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Christina Koch

{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Andrew R. Morgan

|

This spacewalk was the first of Expedition 61 and the first in a series of five to replace and improve ISS batteries on the P6 truss.{{cite web |last=Garcia |first=Mark |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/10/06/first-of-five-power-upgrade-spacewalks-this-month-wraps-up/ |title=First of Five Power Upgrade Spacewalks This Month Wraps Up |publisher=NASA |date=6 October 2019 |access-date=23 November 2019 |archive-date=6 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006202320/https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/10/06/first-of-five-power-upgrade-spacewalks-this-month-wraps-up// |url-status=dead }}

|6 hours {{nowrap|45 minutes}}

|18:23

|Expedition 61

ISS Quest

|{{nowrap|{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Andrew R. Morgan}}

{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Christina Koch

|

This spacewalk was the second of Expedition 61 and the second in a series of five to replace and improve ISS batteries on the P6 truss. Before they went out to the hatch, Mission Control Moscow relayed to the crew that Alexei Leonov had died and that this spacewalk was dedicated to him. As the crew came in and took off their suits, each gave a few words in memory of Leonov before station commander Luca Parmitano said "Farewell Alexei, and ad astra."{{cite web |last=Moran |first=Norah |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/10/11/second-of-five-power-upgrade-spacewalks-wraps-up/ |title=Second of Five Power Upgrade Spacewalks Wraps Up |publisher=NASA |date=11 October 2019 |access-date=23 November 2019 |archive-date=18 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018011801/https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/10/11/second-of-five-power-upgrade-spacewalks-wraps-up/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |last=Malik |first=Tariq |url=https://www.space.com/spacewalking-astronauts-mourn-cosmonaut-alexei-leonov-death.html |title=Astronauts Mourn Alexei Leonov, the World's 1st Spacewalker, While On a Spacewalk of Their Own |work=Space.com |date=11 October 2019 |access-date=23 November 2019}}

11:38

|7 hours 17 minutes

|18:55

| {{nowrap|Expedition 61}}

ISS Quest

|{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Christina Koch

{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Jessica Meir

|

This spacewalk was the third of Expedition 61 and the third in a series of five to replace and improve ISS batteries on the P6 truss. Some of the battery swaps were delayed to EVA 222 due to a power failure in a Battery Charge Discharge Unit in slots 5 and 6 on the P6 Truss taking the 4B battery channel offline. Koch and Meir replaced the failed unit and brought it back inside. The battery swap was moved to EVA 222 to save time and Meir and Koch wrapped up the spacewalk by installing a stanchion on the Columbus Module and tightening the bolts on the S0 Truss, which had come loose. This spacewalk was the first all-female spacewalk. During the spacewalk, President Trump called the station and congratulated Koch and Meir on this milestone.{{cite web |last=Garcia |first=Mark |url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/10/18/nasa-astronauts-wrap-up-historic-all-woman-spacewalk/ |title=NASA Astronauts Wrap Up Historic All-Woman Spacewalk |publisher=NASA |date=18 October 2019 |access-date=23 November 2019 |archive-date=30 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230011009/https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/10/18/nasa-astronauts-wrap-up-historic-all-woman-spacewalk/ |url-status=dead }}

11:39

|6 hours 39 minutes

|18:18

| {{nowrap|Expedition 61}}

ISS Quest

|{{#invoke:flag|icon|Italy}} Luca Parmitano

{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Andrew Morgan

|

First of a series of four spacewalks to repair the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer which suffered a power failure last year in one of its four cooling pumps limiting the operation of the experiment. Parmitano and Morgan went outside and removed a cover plate from AMS and jettisoned it into space to make way for a cryo pump that they will assemble between spacewalks. Some of the bolts put up a fight but Parmitano got them all out. The highlight of the spacewalk is when Andrew Morgan threw the cover plate overboard and it drifted off aft of the station into the vacuum of space. The plate will stay in orbit for a few days until the end of December when it enters the atmosphere and burns up. The crew also removed several carbon fiber strips around fluid lines and installed handrails and grapple bars as get-ahead task. This spacewalk marks Parmitano's return to spacewalking after the Water in the Helmet Incident during EVA 171.{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/11/15/spacewalkers-complete-first-excursion-to-repair-cosmic-particle-detector/|title=Spacewalkers Complete First Excursion to Repair Cosmic Particle Detector – Space Station|website=blogs.nasa.gov|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-15|archive-date=15 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115234246/https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/11/15/spacewalkers-complete-first-excursion-to-repair-cosmic-particle-detector/|url-status=dead}}

12:02

|6 hours 33 minutes

|16:35

| {{nowrap|Expedition 61}}

ISS Quest

|{{#invoke:flag|icon|Italy}} Luca Parmitano

{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Andrew Morgan

|

The second in a series of four spacewalks to repair the AMS. Parmitano and Morgan cut fluid lines and installed a vent on the AMS Experiment to prep the old cooling pump for removal on the third spacewalk. Parmitano and Morgan also routed cables and installed a new power supply to power the pumps when they are installed on the third spacewalk.{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/11/22/astronauts-complete-intricate-tasks-during-second-cosmic-repair-spacewalk/|title=Astronauts Complete Intricate Tasks During Second Cosmic Repair Spacewalk – Space Station|website=blogs.nasa.gov|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-22|archive-date=5 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605192446/https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/11/22/astronauts-complete-intricate-tasks-during-second-cosmic-repair-spacewalk/|url-status=dead}}

11:31

|6 hours 2 minutes

|17:33

| {{nowrap|Expedition 61}}

ISS Quest

|{{#invoke:flag|icon|Italy}} Luca Parmitano

{{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Andrew Morgan

|

The third in a series of four spacewalks to repair the AMS. Parmitano and Morgan went out on the third spacewalk and installed the cryo pump and routed fluid and electrical lines to power the pump. Flight controllers in Houston, Huntsville, and at CERN activated the experiment and radioed to the crew that AMS passed with flying colors. The crew finished the spacewalk by doing a get-ahead task by covering AMS with thermal blanket.{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/12/02/astronauts-wrap-up-third-spacewalk-for-cosmic-particle-detector-repairs/|title=Astronauts Wrap Up Third Spacewalk for Cosmic Particle Detector Repairs – Space Station|website=blogs.nasa.gov|date=2 December 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-02}}

| nowrap | {{#invoke:flag|icon|India}} Microsat-R (suspected)
and kinetic kill vehicle

| nowrap | 2019 Indian anti-satellite missile test

| 121{{cite tweet |author=T.S. Kelso |user=TSKelso |number=1164424542728675331 |date=22 August 2019 |title=CelesTrak also has 3 more TLEs for debris from the Indian ASAT test (MICROSAT-R DEB). That brings the total, so far, to 121 pieces (including the original), of which only 65 have decayed —148 days after the event: https://t.co/yHuEC6Ac6l https://t.co/1S52MRjXtk |language=en |access-date=20 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229193855/https://twitter.com/TSKelso/status/1164424542728675331 |archive-date=29 December 2021 |url-status=live}}

| Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a successful test of an anti-satellite weapon. The test was believed to have destroyed the Microsat-R satellite launched in January.{{Cite web|url=https://aviationweek.com/awinspace/indian-asat-test-likely-targeted-microsat-r|title=Indian ASAT Test Likely Targeted Microsat-R|last=DiMascio|first=Jen|work=Aviation Week|language=en|date=27 March 2019|access-date=2019-03-29}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.businesstoday.in/technology/news/us-cautions-nations-on-asat-tests-warns-of-space-debris/story/331822.html|title=US cautions nations on ASAT tests; warns of space debris|work=Business Today|date=28 March 2019|access-date=2019-03-29|url-access=limited}}

| nowrap | {{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} A Centaur 3 upper stage
(previously International Designator 2018-079B)

| nowrap | Unknown{{Cite web|url=https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/quarterly-news/pdfs/odqnv23i3.pdf|title=Orbital Debris Quarterly News|last=National Aeronautics and Space Administration

|language=en|date=1 August 2019|access-date=2019-11-05}}

| 54{{Cite web|url=https://www.space-track.org/#ssr|title=Satellite Situation Report|last=Space-Track.org

|work=TLE|language=en|date=6 August 2019|access-date=2019-11-06}}

| The upper stage of the Centaur 3 that carried AEHF −4 in high Earth orbit on 17 October 2018 broke up for unknown reasons.{{Cite web|url=https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/quarterly-news/pdfs/odqnv23i3.pdf|title=Orbital Debris Quarterly News|last=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|language=en|date=1 August 2019|access-date=2019-11-05}}

| nowrap | {{#invoke:flag|icon|USA}} Titan IIIC Transtage rocket body{{cite news |last1=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|title=Orbital Debris Quarterly News|url=https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/quarterly-news/pdfs/odqnv23i4.pdf|access-date=4 February 2020 |work=Space News |date=November 2019 }}

| nowrap |Titan IIIC Transtage rocket body

|?No fragments have entered the SSN catalog as 2/4/20

| Energetic fragmentation event by caused the overheating of leftover anhydrous hydrazine(N2H4) Mono Propellant

| nowrap | {{#invoke:flag|icon|FRA}} Ariane 42P third stage rocket body

| nowrap | Unknown

| 7

|

| nowrap | {{#invoke:flag|icon|RUS}} SOZ (Sistema Obespecheniya Zapuska) ullage motor

| nowrap | Proton Block DM fourth stage

| ?Due to difficulties in tracking objects in deep space elliptical orbits it is unknown how many fragments were generated

| Energetic fragmentation event; caused by left over fuel in the ullage motor.

! colspan="2" | World

| nowrap align=left | {{USA}}

| align=left | Plesetsk

| align=left | Taiyuan

! colspan=2 | Total

! Total