Career Timeline of Mark Kelly: Major Achievements and Milestones

Discover the career path of Mark Kelly, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Mark Kelly is an American politician currently serving as a U.S. Senator for Arizona since 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, Kelly is also a retired astronaut and former naval officer. His career encompasses service in the military, space exploration with NASA, and now political representation at the federal level.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

December 1987: Became a Naval Aviator

In December 1987, Mark Kelly became a naval aviator and received initial training on the A-6E Intruder attack aircraft.

1994: Attended U.S. Naval Test Pilot School

From 1993 to 1994, Mark Kelly attended U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.

1996: Selected as NASA Astronaut

In 1996, Mark Kelly and his twin brother Scott were selected as Space Shuttle pilots, joining the NASA Astronaut Corps in August.

1996: Selected as NASA Space Shuttle Pilot

In 1996, Mark Kelly was selected as a NASA Space Shuttle pilot after serving as a naval aviator during the Gulf War.

December 5, 2001: STS-108 Launch

After several delays, on December 5, 2001, Endeavour launched on STS-108, with Mark Kelly as pilot. This was the final Shuttle mission of 2001.

2001: First Space Mission

In 2001, Mark Kelly flew his first space mission as pilot of STS-108.

July 2006: Piloted STS-121 Discovery

In July 2006, Mark Kelly piloted STS-121 Discovery, the second "Return to Flight" mission after the loss of Columbia in February 2003. It became the first shuttle mission to launch on the Fourth of July due to weather delays.

2006: Piloted STS-121

In 2006, Mark Kelly piloted STS-121.

2008: Commanded STS-124

In 2008, Mark Kelly commanded STS-124.

2009: Logged Over 54 Days in Space

As of 2009, Mark Kelly had logged over 54 days in space overall.

February 4, 2011: Kelly to Remain Commander of Mission

On February 4, 2011, NASA announced that Mark Kelly would remain commander of the mission after his wife's shooting due to her progress in recovery.

May 16, 2011: STS-134 Launched

On May 16, 2011, STS-134 launched.

June 21, 2011: Announced Retirement from Navy and NASA

On June 21, 2011, Mark Kelly announced his retirement from both the Navy and NASA, effective October 1, citing Gabby Giffords's needs during her recovery.

2011: Delivered Paid Speeches for Shaklee

From 2011 to 2016, Mark Kelly delivered paid speeches in the U.S. and China on behalf of Shaklee, a multi-level marketing distributor of nutritional supplements.

2011: Coauthored "Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience"

In 2011, Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords coauthored "Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience," detailing the assassination attempt and her recovery.

Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience

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2011: Advocacy for gun control

In 2011, Mark Kelly became an outspoken advocate for gun control following the attempted assassination of his wife, Gabby Giffords, in the Tucson mass shooting.

March 28, 2012: Joined SpaceX Safety Advisory Panel

On March 28, 2012, SpaceX announced that Mark Kelly would be part of an independent safety advisory panel composed of leading human spaceflight safety experts.

2012: Published Mousetronaut

In 2012, Mark Kelly's children's book "Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story," illustrated by C. F. Payne, became a New York Times bestseller.

Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story (The Mousetronaut Series)

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January 2013: Started Americans for Responsible Solutions

In January 2013, following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords started a nonprofit political action committee called Americans for Responsible Solutions (ARS) to promote solutions to gun violence.

March 31, 2013: Kelly's Statement on Universal Background Checks

On March 31, 2013, Mark Kelly stated that "any bill that does not include a universal background check is a mistake," advocating for common-sense measures to prevent criminals and the mentally ill from accessing weapons.

2013: Director of Flight Crew Operations at World View

Beginning in 2013, Mark Kelly served as Director of Flight Crew Operations at World View Enterprises, involved in developing the new craft, its procedures, and operations.

2013: Founded Americans for Responsible Solutions

In 2013, Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords founded a nonprofit political action committee called Americans for Responsible Solutions, which later merged into Giffords, campaigning for gun control measures.

2014: Coauthored Enough: Our Fight to Keep America Safe from Gun Violence

In 2014, Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords coauthored "Enough: Our Fight to Keep America Safe from Gun Violence."

Enough: Our Fight to Keep America Safe from Gun Violence

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2015: Co-Wrote Astrotwins: Project Blastoff

In 2015, Mark Kelly and Martha Freeman co-wrote "Astrotwins: Project Blastoff", a fictional story about twins who build a space capsule.

Astrotwins -- Project Blastoff

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2016: Tencent Invests in World View

Between 2013 and 2016, Chinese company Tencent invested millions into World View Enterprises, where Mark Kelly was involved in flight crew operations.

2016: Delivered Paid Speeches for Shaklee

From 2011 to 2016, Mark Kelly delivered paid speeches in the U.S. and China on behalf of Shaklee, a multi-level marketing distributor of nutritional supplements.

2016: ARS Merged with Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence

In 2016, Americans for Responsible Solutions (ARS), founded by Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords, merged with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence to become Giffords, advocating for background checks and red flag laws.

2016: Published Astrotwins—Project Rescue

In 2016, Mark Kelly and Martha Freeman published the sequel to their first book, titled, "Astrotwins—Project Rescue".

Astrotwins -- Project Rescue

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February 12, 2019: Announced Candidacy for U.S. Senate

On February 12, 2019, Mark Kelly announced his candidacy for Arizona's Class 3 U.S. Senate seat in the 2020 special election.

2019: Kelly Left World View

In 2019, Mark Kelly left World View Enterprises before starting his Senate campaign.

August 4, 2020: Won Democratic Primary

On August 4, 2020, Mark Kelly won the Democratic primary for Arizona's U.S. Senate seat.

November 4, 2020: Associated Press called the race for Kelly

On November 4, 2020, The Associated Press called the race for Kelly. His election marks the first time since 1953 that Arizona has had two Democratic senators.

December 2, 2020: First Senate Vote

On December 2, 2020, Mark Kelly cast his first Senate vote, a "no" vote on the nomination of Kathryn C. Davis to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

2020: Kelly becomes Senator of Arizona

In 2020, Mark Kelly became the senior United States senator from Arizona, a seat he has held since then.

2020: Ran as a Democrat in the 2020 U.S. Senate special election in Arizona

In 2020, Mark Kelly ran as a Democrat in the 2020 U.S. Senate special election in Arizona.

2020: Kelly ran as a moderate

In 2020, Mark Kelly ran for Senate as a moderate and voiced support for bipartisanship.

January 3, 2021: Other senators and representatives elected in 2020 took office

On January 3, 2021, other senators and representatives elected in 2020 took office.

February 2021: Vote to convict Trump

In February 2021, Mark Kelly voted to convict Donald Trump for incitement of insurrection during his second impeachment trial.

2021: Support for climate action

In 2021, Mark Kelly voiced support for climate action, though he does not favor the Green New Deal. The League of Conservation Voters gave him a 97% score. A Greenpeace exposé in 2021 identified Kelly as one of 11 U.S. senators crucial to ExxonMobil.

October 2022: Voting record in line with Biden's position

As of October 2022, Senator Mark Kelly has voted in line with President Joe Biden's stated position 94.5% of the time.

2022: Advocacy for oil drilling expansion

In 2022, Mark Kelly advocated for an expansion of oil drilling in response to rising gas prices.

2022: Elected to Full Senate Term

In 2022, Mark Kelly was elected to a full term in office, defeating Republican challenger Blake Masters.

2022: Kelly Reelected

In 2022, Mark Kelly was reelected, defeating Republican nominee Blake Masters by 125,719 votes.

January 2023: Three Indian tribes bills signed into law

In January 2023, President Joe Biden signed into law three bills introduced by Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema concerning Indian tribes. These bills included the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act, the Colorado River Indian Tribes Water Resiliency Act, and the Hualapai Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act, all aimed at improving water infrastructure and rights for these tribes.

2023: Bipartisan END FENTANYL Act passed

In 2023, Mark Kelly co-sponsored the bipartisan END FENTANYL Act, which became law. This law mandates that United States Customs and Border Protection refresh its interdiction procedures at least every three years to combat narcotics and human trafficking across the U.S. southern border.

July 2024: Criticism of Trump over border bill

In July 2024, Mark Kelly blamed former President Donald Trump for sinking a bipartisan border bill.

2024: Consideration for Vice Presidential Nomination

In 2024, Mark Kelly was reportedly one of the leading contenders for the Democratic vice presidential nomination, though Kamala Harris ultimately chose Tim Walz.