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, retired astronaut, and former naval officer. He currently serves as the senior United States senator from Arizona, a position he has held since 2020. Kelly is affiliated with the Democratic Party.

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, after receiving his master's degree, 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.

December 5, 2001: Launched on STS-108

After several delays, Mark Kelly's first trip into space was as pilot of STS-108. Endeavour lifted off on December 5, 2001, on the final Shuttle mission of 2001.

2001: First Space Mission

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

July 2006: Piloted STS-121 Discovery

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

2006: Piloted STS-121

In 2006, Mark Kelly piloted STS-121, which was the second 'Return to Flight' mission.

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 STS-134

On February 4, 2011, NASA announced that Mark Kelly would remain commander of the STS-134 mission, following his wife's shooting. The progress in her recovery helped him return to training.

May 16, 2011: STS-134 Launched

STS-134, commanded by Mark Kelly, launched on May 16, 2011.

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 in 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 the book "Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience", which provides biographical information and details the assassination attempt on Giffords.

Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience

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2011: Kelly became advocate for gun control in 2011

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.

2012: Authored Mousetronaut

In 2012, Mark Kelly's second book, "Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story", was published. It is a children's book illustrated by C. F. Payne and 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, Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords started Americans for Responsible Solutions (ARS), a nonprofit political action committee promoting solutions to gun violence.

March 31, 2013: Called for Universal Background Checks

On March 31, 2013, Mark Kelly stated that "any bill that does not include a universal background check is a mistake" regarding gun control.

2013: Director of Flight Crew Operations at World View Enterprises

Beginning in 2013, Mark Kelly served as Director of Flight Crew Operations at World View Enterprises, a high-altitude balloon near-space exploration company. Kelly was also a co-founder and strategic advisor for the company.

2013: Founded Americans for Responsible Solutions

In 2013, Mark Kelly and Gabby Giffords founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, a political action committee campaigning for gun control.

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

In 2014, Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly 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 Scott and Mark who build a space capsule.

Astrotwins -- Project Blastoff

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2016: Tencent Investment in World View

Between 2013 and 2016, Chinese company Tencent invested millions into World View Enterprises, where Mark Kelly was Director of Flight Crew Operations.

2016: Delivered Paid Speeches for Shaklee

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

2016: Americans for Responsible Solutions merged with Law Center

In 2016, Americans for Responsible Solutions merged with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence to become Giffords.

2016: Astrotwins—Project Rescue Published

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

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: 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: Won the Senate Election

On November 4, 2020, the Associated Press called the race for Mark Kelly, marking the first time since 1953 that Arizona had two Democratic senators.

December 2, 2020: Sworn into the Senate

Mark Kelly was sworn in as a U.S. Senator for Arizona at noon on December 2, 2020, and cast his first vote.

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 ran as a moderate in 2020

In 2020, Mark Kelly ran as a moderate candidate and voiced his 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: Kelly voted to convict Trump in impeachment trial

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

2021: World View Stocks

As of 2021, Mark Kelly held over $100,000 of World View stocks through a blind trust.

2021: Kelly's environmental record and connections to ExxonMobil in 2021

In 2021, the League of Conservation Voters gave Mark Kelly a 97% score. Also in 2021, a Greenpeace exposé revealed that Kelly was considered "crucial" to ExxonMobil, and he had received funding from ExxonMobil lobbyists.

October 2022: Kelly's Voting Record

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

2022: Kelly advocated for oil drilling expansion in 2022

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: Re-elected to Senate

In 2022, Mark Kelly was re-elected to the Senate, defeating Republican nominee Blake Masters.

January 2023: Indian tribes bills signed into law

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

2023: Bipartisan END FENTANYL Act Passed

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