For nearly thirty years, our flag has been ascending progressively above the Earth. Initially, it was positioned in orbit; subsequently, it traversed a distance three times greater than that of the space station; and presently, it remains on the lunar surface.
The anthem over the planet and the first Ukrainian flag in space
On November 19, 1997, Leonid Kadenyuk participated as a research cosmonaut in the STS-87 mission. The mission duration was 15 days and 16 hours, with an orbital altitude of approximately 280 km. On two occasions during this period, the crew of Columbia was awakened to the Ukrainian national anthem, a melody transmitted from the Houston Mission Control Center at the request of the first cosmonaut of independent Ukraine.
Each crew member was permitted to carry a designated quantity of personal and official items. Leonid Kadenyuk took three Ukrainian national flags, the coat of arms, and portraits of Taras Shevchenko, Serhii Korolov, Yuri Kondratyuk, and academician Mykola Kholodny. He also brought a facsimile edition of “Kobzar” from 1840, which is now preserved at the Taras Shevchenko National Museum, along with a NASA certificate confirming its presence aboard the Columbia. It was during this mission that the Ukrainian flag traveled beyond Earth’s atmosphere for the first time.
The flag in the astronaut’s notebook
Nine years later, the Ukrainian flag was reinstated into Earth’s orbit — this time as part of an astronaut’s personal belongings. On September 9, 2006, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, a NASA astronaut of Ukrainian heritage, embarked on a journey to the International Space Station aboard the space shuttle Atlantis.
She carried the flag in her notebook, accompanied by photographs of her family and a “Plast” badge. On the fourth day of the flight, the crew was awakened by a song featuring lyrics by Taras Shevchenko. In November 2008, that very same flag was flown with her for a second time, this occasion being aboard the space shuttle Endeavour.
The flag from Dnipro at the station
The subsequent flag was launched into orbit with the assistance of an astronaut who does not possess Ukrainian ancestry. In 2008, Randy Breznik and his wife adopted a boy named Wayat in Dnipro; subsequently, in 2016, they journeyed with their children to his homeland. It was during this visit that the astronaut was presented with a Ukrainian flag, which he subsequently transported to the International Space Station.
On October 25, 2017, Breznik displayed it at an altitude exceeding 400 kilometers during a videoconference with Kyiv; among the participants was the United States Ambassador to Ukraine. On that day, viewers observed live as the Ukrainian flag floated in a zero-gravity environment.
Following their return to Earth, the astronaut delivered the flag to Ukraine and presented it to the Ukrainian populace. Currently, Randy Bresnik is preparing for a forthcoming mission, this time serving as the crew commander of the Artemis III expedition.
The record altitude of Polaris Dawn
Our flag has been raised to new heights — this time aboard a private spacecraft. On September 10, 2024, the Polaris Dawn mission was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, and a mere fifteen hours afterward, its four crew members were positioned 1,400 km from Earth. At that juncture, no individual in the history of space exploration had exceeded this altitude — excluding the Apollo astronauts en route to the Moon.
It was at an altitude three times that of the International Space Station that the Ukrainian flag, bearing the logo of the UNITED24 platform, was unfurled within the Crew Dragon capsule. The Polaris Program team had committed to delivering it into space in March 2022, shortly after the commencement of the full-scale invasion. During its ascent to apogee, the crew traversed Earth’s inner radiation belt, an area where radiation levels markedly exceed those in the orbit of the ISS.
The Ukrainian flag on the Moon
The Ukrainian flag has been transported to the Moon on two separate occasions, with the initial expedition ending in failure. In January 2024, the British-Ukrainian enterprise Spacebit dispatched a metallic plate featuring an image of the Ukrainian flag and a map of Ukraine aboard the Peregrine spacecraft. Shortly after launch, an oxidizer leak occurred within the fuel system; consequently, the landing was aborted, and the plate incinerated upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere along with the spacecraft.
A subsequent attempt was undertaken one year thereafter. On January 15, 2025, the Blue Ghost lander, produced by the American enterprise Firefly Aerospace, was launched from Cape Canaveral, carrying a memorial capsule containing a digitized Ukrainian flag, photographs of Ukrainian soldiers, and children’s drawings. Once more, the initiative originated from Pavlo Tanasyuk, the founder of Spacebit and a native of Zhytomyr.
The flight duration was 45 days. On March 2, 2025, the spacecraft successfully executed a landing on the Moon’s surface in the Mare Crisium region, near the volcanic formation known as Mons Latreille. This event signifies the first fully successful soft landing conducted by a private mission on the Moon of Earth.
All preceding flags ultimately made their way back to Earth. However, the flag located in Mare Crisium shall remain on the lunar surface indefinitely, at a distance of 384,000 km from our planet.
Day of the National Flag (Ukraine)
On August 23, Ukraine celebrates the Day of the National Flag. For many years, the blue and yellow flag has flown over the peaceful sky of Ukraine. However, during the years of conflict, these colors have acquired a different significance. Currently, the flag is hoisted over recently liberated communities, draped over our fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for Ukraine, and passed from hand to hand as a symbol of hope and a promise of return.
The Ukrainian flag has been exhibited in space on numerous occasions. This is not incidental, as Ukraine has historically been a nation engaged in space endeavors, contributing esteemed designers, engineers, and scientists to the field. The country has made substantial contributions to the advancement of space exploration.
Wishing you a joyful Ukrainian National Flag Day!
