Following a busy last two weeks, the pace of the worldwide launch schedule slowed down this week. The first launch of the week saw China launch the initial batch of its G60 internet satellite constellation. If the plans for this expansive constellation are fulfilled, we can expect to see many more of these launches shortly.
Rocket Lab also launched this week, placing another satellite into orbit for Capella Space.
SpaceX continued to add to its Starlink constellation with two Falcon 9 Starlink launches this week. They also launched a Falcon 9 for Norway Space.
While preparations continue for SpaceX to launch both the Crew-9 and Polaris Dawn missions in the coming weeks, it appears that the new crew access arm at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) is unlikely to be available for either mission. Speaking in response to a question at a press conference on July 26, NASA Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stitch indicated that NASA and SpaceX were still working through the certification process for the use of SLC-40 for crew launches. He said the current expectation was that the process would be completed towards the end of September.
The target date for Polaris Dawn has been revised and is currently listed as no earlier than August 26, from LC-39A, while Crew-9 is now scheduled for Sept. 24 from SLC-40.
CASC Long March 6A | G60 Qianfan Xingzuo F1 x18
A Long March 6A launched on Tuesday, Aug. 6, at 06:42 UTC from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China with the first batch of G60 internet constellation satellites. The Long March 6A traveled directly south from the launch site, and indications are that the payloads were placed in an approximately 800 km circular polar orbit.
Later reports indicate that the upper stage of the launcher broke up following the deployment of the payload. The developing debris cloud is being monitored by authorities. No official update has been issued from China.
#USSPACECOM statement on the break-up of a Chinese Long March 6A rocket: pic.twitter.com/Kf5cz0iZky
— U.S. Space Command (@US_SpaceCom) August 8, 2024
As mentioned, the payload is the first 18 G60 satellites, which will serve as the Chinese equivalent of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. 108 satellites are expected to be launched this year as part of an initial tranche of 1,296 satellites. Ultimately, the constellation will consist of more than 14,000 low-orbit broadband multimedia satellites. Chinese entity Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST) raised 6.7 billion Yuan, or around $943 million, to construct the constellation, which is intended to provide global internet access for China.
Shanghai Gesi Aerospace Technology (Genesat) oversees the construction of the G60 satellites. SSST formed Genesat in collaboration with the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAMCAS). The G60 satellites are being built at a factory in Shanghai’s Songjiang District using a fully automated production line that aims to produce up to 500 units per year by the end of 2025.
With this launch, the G60 constellation appears to be leading the internet satellite race in China. G60’s competitors include a similar low-orbit constellation known as Guowang (SatNet) and a medium-Earth orbit constellation called Smart Skynet. Additionally, Chinese company Landspace recently applied for clearance for a 10,000 satellite constellation. The G60 launch will help to secure orbits and frequencies for China as demand in this competitive sector increases, both globally and nationally.
Long March 6A is a two-stage booster with four solid rocket motors strapped to the rocket’s first stage. Unlike Falcon 9, which SpaceX uses to launch its Starlink constellation, the Long March 6A is not reusable, although suitable reusable boosters are being built and tested in China. This was the fourth launch of the Long March 6 rocket this year.
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 8-3
A Falcon 9 carrying a new batch of 21 Starlink satellites was scheduled to launch on Friday, Aug. 9, at 12:13 AM EDT (16:13 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch attempt was delayed until the very end of the four-hour launch window, likely due to bad weather in the recovery zone, and was scrubbed for the day.
The launch eventually took place on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 8:50 AM EDT (12:50 UTC), 50 minutes into a two-hour, forty-eight-minute launch window.
LAUNCH! SpaceX Falcon 9 B1067 launches Starlink 8-3 from SLC-40.
LIVE: https://t.co/h84LtSebOr pic.twitter.com/3wymmw76bb
— Chris Bergin – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) August 10, 2024
The booster, B1067, was carrying the payload of v2 Mini Starlink satellites into a low-Earth orbit, launching on a northeastern trajectory out of the Cape. Thirteen of the Starlink satellites are fitted with Direct-to-Cell equipment.
The booster landed successfully on the autonomous drone ship Just Read The Instructions stationed downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Falcon 9 booster for this flight was flying its 21st mission, having previously flown CRS-22, Crew-3, Türksat 5B, Crew-4, CRS-25, Starlink Group 4-34, Hotbird 13G, O3b mPOWER 1&2, Starlink Group 5-2, Starlink Group 5-5, Starlink Group 5-9, Satria, Starlink Group 6-10, Starlink Group 6-22, Starlink Group 6-29, Starlink Group 6-35, HTS-113BT, Starlink Group 6-45, Starlink Group 6-55, and Starlink Group 8-5.
The booster’s first flight was on Jun 3, 2021, and it has flown all of its missions from the Cape. B1067 is the third Falcon 9 booster to reach its 21st flight.
Rocket Lab Electron | A Sky Full of SARs
Just eight days after Rocket Lab’s previous launch, another Electron was due to lift off from Rocket Lab LC-1B, Māhia Peninsula, New Zealand on Sunday, Aug. 11, at 11:15 PM NZT (11:15 UTC). The countdown was held for a while due to high ground wind speeds, after which the hold was extended to allow the authorities to clear a wayward vessel from the launch hazard area.
Ground winds later came back within bounds and the launch occurred on Monday, Aug. 12, at 1:18 AM NZT (Sunday, Aug. 11 at 13:18 UTC).
And on to the kick stage. Another smooth trip into space for Electron. pic.twitter.com/Foi6qLmg2F
— Chris Bergin – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) August 11, 2024
The payload is a Capella Space Acadia-3 synthetic aperture radar satellite, which was delivered to a mid-inclination 615 km circular orbit. A custom, extended fairing has been developed by Rocket Lab for this satellite.
The Electron booster performed what has become a routine launch sequence, with the first stage burning until two minutes and 37 seconds into the mission, and the second stage continuing until nine minutes and nine seconds. The kick stage (upper stage) then separated and coasted until 53 minutes and 10 seconds, at which point it performed a three-minute circularization burn. Payload deployment took place at 56 minutes, 49 seconds after launch.
This was the tenth Electron mission of 2024, the 52nd overall, and Rocket Lab’s fifth mission for Capella Space.
The two Space Norway ASBMs being prepared for flight. (Credit: Northrop Grumman)
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Space Norway ASBM
A Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sunday, Aug. 12, at 7:02 PM PDT (Monday, Aug. 13, at 02:02 UTC).
The payload for this mission consists of two Northrop Grumman-built GEOstar satellite platforms. The two satellites each carry three separate payloads for the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, Inmarsat (now Viasat), and the United States Space Force (USSF). The contracts were awarded in 2019, with Space Norway being the operator for the satellites.The twin Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission (ASBM) satellites mass a total of 7,200 kg.
The Norwegian Ministry of Defence will use the satellites to provide continuous and reliable broadband internet to civil and military customers in the Arctic region via X-band. A dedicated ground station in North Norway has been built to ensure control of the facility.
Viasat will provide a Ka-band high-speed broadband facility for its customers in the region.
The USSF payloads built by Northrop Grumman are known as Enhanced Polar System Recapitalization (EPS-R), providing protected broadband communication for the US Navy and Coast Guard operating in the North Polar Region.
The two satellites will operate in a unique “Molniya-like” Highly Elliptical Earth orbit, of 8,000 by 43,000 km inclined at 63.4 degrees, to provide continuous coverage to the operating region. Space Norway’s video below illustrates how this orbit enables continuous coverage –
The booster for this flight is B1061, which is flying for the 22nd time.
After separating from the second stage, the booster landed successfully on the autonomous droneship Of Course I Still Love You.
Booster B1061 has previous flown Crew-1, Crew-2, SXM-8, CRS-23, IXPE, Starlink Group 4-7, Transporter-4, Transporter-5, Globalstar FM15/Rideshare, Starlink Group 3-3, EROS-C3, Starlink Group 2-7, Starlink Group 3-5, Starlink Group 2-10, Starlink Group 7-1, Starlink Group 7-5, EIRSAT-1, Starlink Group 7-10, Starlink Group 7-15, WorldView Legion 1 & 2, and Starlink Group 8-8. Its first flight was on Nov. 16, 2020.
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-7
A further batch of 23 v2 Mini Starlink satellites was due to be launched atop a Falcon 9 on Sunday, Aug. 11, at 10:59 AM EDT (14:59 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This launch time had changed several times, and the launch time was set to be right at the end of the window. The countdown proceeded until forty-six seconds before the launch but was aborted for as-yet-unknown reasons. SpaceX announced that a further attempt would be made and this launch attempt succeeded on Monday, Aug. 12, at 6:37 AM EDT (10:37 UTC). The early morning timing, coupled with the weather conditions produced a visually beautiful launch that rounded off SpaceX’s run of three launches over a single weekend.
The booster, B1073, landed successfully on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship A Shortfall Of Gravitas stationed approximately 600 km downrange. The two fairing halves will be recovered by the support vessel Go Cosmos.
Falcon 9 B1073 completes 17 launches and landings.https://t.co/ujqs9LIf7t https://t.co/ArA4dWf7xi pic.twitter.com/aIPTsUoUyB
— Chris Bergin – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) August 12, 2024
Booster B1073 as flown 16 previous missions -Starlink Group 4-15, SES-22, Starlink Group 4-26, Starlink Group 4-35, HAKUTO-R Mission 1, Amazonas Nexus, CRS-27, Starlink Group 6-2, Starlink Group 5-11, Starlink Group 6-12, Starlink Group 6-27, Starlink Group 6-37, Starlink Group 6-41, Bandwagon-1, Starlink Group 6-58, and Starlink Group 8-9. It first flew on May 4, 2022.
There was a brief period on Sunday where the timing of this launch meant that the Falcon 9 would have launched from Florida in the same minute as Rocket Lab’s Electron launched from New Zealand, but both missions were delayed, preventing this.
(Lead image: Launch of Starlink Group 10-4 from LC-39A. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
