Space

What time do astronauts celebrate New Year in the International Space Station?

Astronauts aboard the planets largest man-made satellite celebrate New Year at a very unique time due to their position in orbit of the planet.

Joe Skipper

Oliver Povey

Oli joined the Latest News team in 2021, taking an interest in economics, world news, and articles that build from his study of history. He also dabbles in sports writing, joining the coverage of the last soccer World Cup as well as European Champions League games. He enjoys playing football, electronic music, and painting miniatures.

Update: Dec 27th, 2024 05:00 EST

As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, people around the globe raise their glasses to toast the arrival of a new year. But what about the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS)? With its unique orbit and timekeeping, celebrating New Year in space is as fascinating as any moon mission.

Astronauts on the ISS celebrate New Year based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is essentially Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). When the world welcomes 2025, astronauts will mark the occasion at 5:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST) on January. This time zone was chosen because it serves as a midpoint for the various international partners involved in the ISS program, including NASA and Roscosmos.

One of the most intriguing aspects of life aboard the ISS is its rapid orbit around Earth. The station travels at an astonishing speed of approximately 28,000 kilometers per hour, completing an orbit every 92 minutes.

This means that astronauts experience 16 sunrises and sunsets each day, allowing them to technically celebrate New Year multiple times as they pass over different time zones, though don’t expect astronauts to be sent up to Space with 16 crates of champagne.

Tagged in:

Espacio aéreo