Today is the International Day of Human Space Flight. It was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011.

The date marks the first human spaceflight, made by former Soviet Union astronaut Yuri Gagarin in the East-1 spaceship on April the 12th, 1961.

The space industry has made significant advancements in recent years, and has seen increased international cooperation between different nations. Today, countries like China and Russia work together to conquer the final frontier. Julia Lyubova reports from Moscow.

On April 12th 1961, Yuri Gagarin, travelled into space for the first time in human history. Marking the 55th anniversary of that historic flight, the Russian Space Agency sets 2016 as the Year of Yuri Gagarin.

The date has become an important one in the Russian calendar. Many Russians consider Yuri Gagarin to be a symbol of national glory. The space industry has made significant advancements in recent years. Today, countries like China and Russia work together to conquer the final frontier.  Julia Lyubova reports from Moscow.

55 years ago Yuri Gagarin was the first person to travel to outerspace. He made one orbit around the globe, before returning safely to earth.

"Gagarin was always a symbol of a mighty Soviet Union. The Soviet Union before the fall of the wall. He was the business card of our country. "

The 20th century marked the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in spaceflight capability. Now nations cooperate on projects in space exploration.

Russia has several joint space projects with China.

"Overall there’s a lot of cooperation in space between Russia and China. First of all it is to do with cooperation between satellite navigation systems, Russian Glonass and Chinese BeiDou. We are also discussing the development of various space rockets systems," said Anatoly Petrukovich of Russian Space Research Institute of Russian Academy of Science.

Later this year, China’s new-generation of rocket launchers -- the Long March-5 and Long March-7 -- will make their debut flights. Space cooperation between Moscow and Beijing is in its early stages, but it may not be long before we see joint experiments on the ISS. 

Yuri Gagarin became an international star when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on 12 April 1961. His 108-minute flight gave him a permanent place in the history books as the first man in space. To this day, his achievement is celebrated in Russia and abroad.