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André Kuipers

Dutch - (ESA)

Retired

Date of Birth: Oct. 5, 1958
Age: 67


André Kuipers is a Dutch physician and ESA astronaut. He became the second Dutch citizen, third Dutch-born and fifth Dutch-speaking astronaut upon launch of Soyuz TMA-4 on 19 April 2004. Kuipers returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-3 11 days later. Kuipers is the first Dutch astronaut to return to space. On 5 August 2009, Dutch minister of economic affairs Maria van der Hoeven, announced Kuipers was selected as an astronaut for International Space Station (ISS) Expeditions 30 and 31. He was launched to space on 21 December 2011 and returned to Earth on 1 July 2012.

Soyuz-FG | Soyuz TMA-3

Progress Rocket Space Center | Russia
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Oct. 18, 2003, 5:38 a.m.
Status: Success
Mission:

Soyuz TMA-3 begins Expedition 8 by carrying 3 astronauts and cosmonauts to the International Space Station. Russian Commander, cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri alongside Flight Engineers, Michael Foale (NASA) & Pedro Duque (ESA) will launch aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and then rendezvous with the station. It landed on April 30, 2004, 00:11:15 UTC

Low Earth Orbit
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Soyuz-FG | Soyuz TMA-4

Progress Rocket Space Center | Russia
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
April 19, 2004, 3:19 a.m.
Status: Success
Mission:

Soyuz TMA-4 begins Expedition 9 by carrying 3 astronauts and cosmonauts to the International Space Station. Russian Commander, cosmonaut Gennady Padalka alongside Flight Engineers, Michael Fincke (NASA) & André Kuipers (ESA) will launch aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and then rendezvous with the station. It landed on October 24, 2004, 00:35:00 UTC

Low Earth Orbit
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Soyuz FG | Soyuz TMA-03M

Progress Rocket Space Center | Russia
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Dec. 21, 2011, 1:16 p.m.
Status: Success
Mission:

Soyuz TMA-03M begins expedition 30 by carrying 3 astronauts and cosmonauts to the International Space Station. Russian Commander, cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko alongside Flight Engineers, André Kuipers (ESA) & Donald Pettit (NASA) will launch aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and then rendezvous with the station. It landed on 1 July 2012, 08:14 UTC

Low Earth Orbit
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Director General: Josef Aschbacher

The European Space Agency is an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, France, ESA has a worldwide staff of about 2,000 employees. ESA's space flight programme includes human spaceflight (mainly through participation in the International Space Station program); the launch and operation of unmanned exploration missions to other planets and the Moon; Earth observation, science and telecommunication; designing launch vehicles; and maintaining a major spaceport, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana.


Long March 8A
Success
20 hours, 15 minutes ago
SatNet LEO Group 14
Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…


Kuaizhou-1A
Success
1 day, 19 hours ago
Traffic VDES A & B
Launch Area 95A - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Two technology demonstration satellites for satellite transmissions of signals for the VHF Data Exchange System (VDES), a successor to the current Au…


Falcon 9
Success
2 days, 7 hours ago
Starlink Group 11-25
Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A batch of 28 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.


Zhuque-3
Success
4 days ago
Demo Flight
Launch Area 96B - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

First test launch of LandSpace’s ZQ-3 rocket, with a dummy payload. The rocket’s 1st stage will attempt to land on a landing pad about 300 km downran…


Falcon 9
Success
4 days, 5 hours ago
Starlink Group 6-95
Space Launch Complex 40 - Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA

A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.