Russia celebrates Cosmonautics Day every April 12. This holiday was instituted by the April 9, 1962 executive order of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet (Parliament) in honor of the first manned space flight.
This year marks the 58th anniversary of the first manned space flight, as on April 12, 1961, a launch vehicle orbited the Vostok spacecraft with the first cosmonaut, Soviet citizen Yuri Gagarin, on board.
After circling the Earth once, the spacecraft’s descent module landed in the Ternovsky District of the Saratov Region.
In Russia, Cosmonautics Day was established as a commemorative date by the Federal Law On the Days of Military Glory and the Commemorative Dates dated March 13, 1995.
