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 U.S. Navy officer. Before entering politics, he gained prominence as a NASA astronaut, participating in four spaceflights. His career reflects a blend of military service, space exploration, and political engagement.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

1962: First Democrat Senator

In 2020, Mark Kelly became the first Democrat to win the Arizona Senate seat since 1962.

1982: Entered US Merchant Marine Academy

In the summer of 1982, Mark Kelly entered the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

December 1987: Became Naval Aviator

In December 1987, Kelly became a naval aviator and received initial training on the Grumman 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 Space Shuttle Pilot

In 1996, Mark Kelly was selected as a NASA Space Shuttle pilot. His identical twin brother, Scott Kelly, also became a NASA astronaut that year.

December 5, 2001: Launched on STS-108

After several delays, on December 5, 2001, Endeavour lifted off on STS-108, Mark Kelly's first trip into space and 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, Kelly piloted STS-121 Discovery, the second "Return to Flight" mission after the loss of Columbia in February 2003.

2006: Piloted STS-121

In 2006, Kelly piloted STS-121.

2008: Commanded STS-124

In 2008, Mark Kelly commanded STS-124.

2009: Logged 54 days in space

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

February 4, 2011: NASA Announced Kelly to Remain Commander of Mission

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

April 29, 2011: First Launch Attempt of STS-134 Scrubbed

On April 29, 2011, the first launch attempt of STS-134 was scrubbed. Gabby Giffords traveled to Florida for the launch, and President Barack Obama visited the Kennedy Space Center.

May 16, 2011: STS-134 Launched

STS-134 launched on May 16, 2011.

June 21, 2011: Announced Retirement from Navy and NASA

On June 21, 2011, Kelly announced his retirement from both the Navy and NASA, effective October 1. He cited Gabby Giffords's needs during her recovery from the attempt on her life that January as the reason.

2011: Delivered paid speeches on behalf of Shaklee

From 2011 to 2016, Kelly delivered paid speeches in the U.S. and in China on behalf of Shaklee.

2011: Co-authored Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience

In 2011, Kelly and Giffords coauthored "Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience", providing biographical information and detailing the assassination attempt on Giffords.

2011: Kelly Became Advocate for Gun Control After Shooting of Gabby Giffords

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

March 28, 2012: Joined SpaceX Safety Advisory Panel

On March 28, 2012, SpaceX announced that Kelly would be part of an independent safety advisory panel.

2012: Mousetronaut Published

In 2012, Kelly's second book, "Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story", a children's book, was published and became a New York Times bestseller.

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

Check it on Amazon

January 2013: Started Americans for Responsible Solutions

In January 2013, Kelly and Giffords started the nonprofit political action committee Americans for Responsible Solutions to promote solutions to gun violence.

March 31, 2013: Advocated for Universal Background Checks

On March 31, 2013, Kelly stated that any bill that does not include a universal background check is a mistake in preventing criminals from accessing weapons.

2013: Director of Flight Crew Operations

Beginning in 2013, Kelly served as Director of Flight Crew Operations at World View Enterprises.

2013: Founded Americans for Responsible Solutions

In 2013, Kelly and Giffords founded a nonprofit political action committee, Americans for Responsible Solutions, which campaigned for gun control measures.

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

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

2015: Co-wrote Astrotwins: Project Blastoff

In 2015, Kelly and Martha Freeman co-wrote "Astrotwins: Project Blastoff", a fictional story about twins Scott and Mark who build a space capsule in their grandfather's backyard and try to send the first kid into orbit.

2016: Delivered paid speeches on behalf of Shaklee

From 2011 to 2016, Kelly delivered paid speeches in the U.S. and in China on behalf of Shaklee.

2016: Astrotwins—Project Rescue Published

In 2016, "Astrotwins—Project Rescue", the sequel to "Astrotwins: Project Blastoff", was published.

February 12, 2019: Announced Senate Run

On February 12, 2019, Kelly announced that he would run as a Democrat in the 2020 U.S. Senate special election in Arizona.

2019: Left World View Enterprises

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

November 4, 2020: Race Called for Kelly

On November 4, 2020, the Associated Press called the race for Kelly.

December 2, 2020: First Senate Vote

On December 2, 2020, 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: Elected to Senate

In 2020, Mark Kelly became the senior United States senator from Arizona, a seat he has held since then. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

2020: Kelly ran as a moderate in 2020

In 2020, Mark Kelly ran as a moderate, voiced support for bipartisanship, and supported abolishing the filibuster and increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.

2020: Kelly supports codifying Roe v. Wade

In 2020, as a candidate, Mark Kelly expressed being "pro-choice", received endorsement from Planned Parenthood, supported codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law, and stated that late-stage abortions should be legally protected.

2020: U.S. Senate special election

Mark Kelly announced that he would run as a Democrat in the 2020 U.S. Senate special election in Arizona.

February 2021: Kelly voted to convict Donald Trump

In February 2021, Mark Kelly voted to convict Donald Trump for incitement of insurrection in his second impeachment trial and has been outspoken in his disdain for him.

2021: League of Conservation Voters gives Kelly a 97% score

In 2021, Mark Kelly received a 97% score from The League of Conservation Voters and was identified as "crucial" to ExxonMobil by ExxonMobil Senior Director for Federal Relations Keith McCoy.

October 2022: Kelly voted in line with Biden's position 94.5% of the time

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

2022: Re-elected to a full term in Senate

In 2022, Kelly was reelected to a full term in the Senate.

2022: Kelly Advocated for Expansion of Oil Drilling

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

2022: Kelly Reelected

Kelly was reelected in 2022, defeating Republican nominee Blake Masters.

January 2023: Three bills regarding Indian tribes signed into law

In January 2023, three bills regarding Indian tribes, introduced by Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema, were signed into law by President Joe Biden. These included bills addressing water rights for the White Mountain Apache Tribe, the Colorado River Indian Tribes, and the Hualapai tribe.

2023: Kelly co-sponsors the bipartisan END FENTANYL Act

In 2023, during the 118th Congress, Mark Kelly co-sponsored the bipartisan END FENTANYL Act, which was passed into law. The law mandates that United States Customs and Border Protection refresh its interdiction procedures at least every three years to mitigate narcotics and human trafficking across the U.S. southern border.

July 2024: Kelly Blamed Donald Trump for Sinking Border Bill

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

November 2025: Kelly Participates in Video Reminding Military of Right to Refuse Illegal Orders

In November 2025, Mark Kelly was among six Democratic lawmakers who participated in a video reminding military service members of their right to refuse "illegal orders".