The orbital launch manifest for the week of Dec. 16 through Dec. 22 has been one of the busiest yet, with 10 of the 12 planned launches worldwide succeeding. SpaceX planned to launch seven Falcon 9 missions this week, with five customer missions, one rideshare mission, and one Starlink mission.
Outside of the U.S., three orbital launches were scheduled out of China with the Chang Zheng 5B, Chang Zheng 2D, and Ceres-1S rockets. Rocket Lab has launched its Electron rocket on the Owl The Way Up mission, and private Japanese launch company Space One attempted a second launch of its Kairos rocket.
Chang Zheng 5B/YZ-2 | SatNet LEO Group 01
A Chinese Chang Zheng 5B (CZ-5B) kicked off the week by launching the SatNet LEO Group 01 mission from Launch Complex (LC) 101 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China. Liftoff occurred on Monday, Dec. 16, at 10:00 UTC. Rocket hardware was first spotted at Wenchang in early November, with the rocket rolling out to LC-101 on Dec. 10.
CZ-5B is a variation of the Chang Zheng 5, China’s most powerful heavy-lift launch vehicle. Standing 54 m tall with three stages, CZ-5B can loft 15,000 kg to low-Earth orbit (LEO). CZ-5B flew with the Yuanzheng-2 (YZ-2) upper stage for this mission.
The payload for this mission was the first batch of 10 satellites for the Chinese state-owned GuoWang mega constellation, also known as SatNet. The China Satellite Network Group is operating the constellation, which is expected to grow to around 13,000 satellites.
Chang Zheng 2D | PIESAT-2 09-12
On Monday, the second of two Chinese launches was a Cheng Zheng 2D (CZ-2D) launch at 18:50 UTC from LC-9 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the Shanxi Province of China with an unknown payload. Liftoff was originally scheduled for last weekend but was scrubbed and pushed to Monday.
The payload for this mission was the second batch of PIESAT-2 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites for ZhuZhou Space. The first batch was launched into a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) in early November atop a Chang Zheng 5C rocket. The constellation will grow to 16 satellites by mid-2025 and use X-band.
Falcon 9 launched the RRT-1 mission Monday from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the first of seven Falcon 9 launches planned for this week. Liftoff occurred at 7:52 PM EST (00:52 UTC on Dec. 17). This mission was initially scheduled to launch on Friday, Dec. 13, but was scrubbed due to high winds.
RRT-1 is a mission for the U.S. Space Force. The payload was the GPS III SV-07 satellite, the seventh GPS III satellite to be launched. RRT stands for “Rapid Response Trailblazer,” with the mission serving as an opportunity for SpaceX and military teams to demonstrate an accelerated launch cycle for a national security payload. Falcon 9 flew the satellite to a medium-Earth orbit on a northeast trajectory out of the Cape.
GPS III (also known as Navstar-3) is the first evolution of the third generation of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. GPS III improves positioning, navigating, and timing services for all GPS users worldwide. GPS III satellites also feature increased resistance to jamming and spoofing through M-code security algorithms. When fully deployed in orbit, the constellation will utilize a cross-linked command control architecture, allowing for faster updates and less ground station usage.
Artist’s impression of a GPS III satellite in orbit. (Credit: Lockheed Martin)
GPS III satellites are built on Lockheed Martin’s A2100M satellite bus. Each satellite carries eight deployable antennas, which are built by Northrup Grumman.
Falcon 9 booster B1085 supported this mission, flying its fourth mission since its first in August. Following liftoff and stage separation, B1085 landed atop SpaceX’s autonomous droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, stationed downrange from SLC-40 in the Atlantic. B1085’s fourth landing was the 400th Falcon recovery attempt by SpaceX.
Falcon 9’s second mission of the week saw the launch of the NROL-149 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Launch occurred at Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 5:19 AM PST (13:19 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The nature of NROL-149’s payload is classified but is expected to be the sixth batch of Starshield satellites built by SpaceX and Northrup Grumman for the NRO.
The booster supporting this mission was B1063, making its 22nd flight following a 54 day turnaround. After launch, B1063 landed on SpaceX’s west coast droneship Of Course I Still Love You, which was stationed downrange in the Pacific.
SpaceX launched the fourth pair of O3b mPOWER satellites for SES on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 5:26 PM EST (22:26 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Falcon 9 launched the seventh and eighth O3b mPOWER satellites into a medium-Earth orbit after flying a due east trajectory out of the Cape. The satellites are the second generation of high-throughput and low-latency internet satellites built by SES, allowing the company to allocate bandwidth and power dynamically to customers as required. Boeing built the two satellites in El Segundo, California, and shipped them to the Cape in November.
Each satellite features newly redesigned power modules that address the previous electrical issues experienced by the first six O3b mPOWER satellites. These electrical issues significantly impaired the performance of the satellites and led to SES extending their contract with Boeing by two satellites, bringing the finished constellation to 13 total satellites. Once fully operational, the constellation will use the first six impaired satellites as spares and commit to fully operating the latter seven satellites. SES expects the final pair of O3b mPOWER satellites to be launched in 2026.
The booster launching this mission was the brand new B1090, making its first flight on this mission. B1090 landed on SpaceX’s droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic around eight minutes after launch.
Japanese commercial launch company Space One attempted to launch the second flight of its Kairos rocket this week. After scrubbing two launch attempts on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15, Space One launched Kairos on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 02:00 UTC during a 20-minute launch window. Launch is set to occur from Spaceport Kii, Space One’s dedicated launch site for Kairos located in the Wakayama Prefecture in Japan.
Several minutes after launch, Kairos experienced an anomaly, resulting in a mission failure. Details on the nature of the anomaly are limited.
Following liftoff, Kairos was expected to launch its payloads into an SSO at 500 km altitude. The payloads aboard Kairos were a 50 kg Tarara-1 microsatellite and four 3U cubesats built by high school students. The primary payload was a satellite including the first Buddha statue to launch into orbit, enshrined atop a small encasing dubbed the Kounji Temple. After payload deployment, the Kairos upper stage would have deorbited itself and burnt up in Earth’s atmosphere.
Space One’s first Kairos launch attempt saw the vehicle experience an anomaly and subsequent rapid unscheduled disassembly only a few seconds into flight due to a lower-than-expected thrust rate, triggering the rocket’s automatic flight termination system.
Kairos is similar in size to Rocket Lab’s Electron, standing 18 m in height and 1.5 m in diameter. It is capable of launching 250 kg to LEO and 150 kg to SSO. Comprised of four stages, the first three utilize solid motors developed by IHI Aerospace, while the fourth is liquid-fuelled. Eventually, Space One hopes to increase its launch cadence to surpass JAXA, specifically aiming to reach 20 launches per year before the end of the decade.
First launch of Space One’s Kairos rocket. (Credit: Kyodo)
Chinese private space launch company Galactic Energy launched its Ceres 1S rocket on Thursday, Dec. 19, at 10:18 UTC from the Haiyang Spaceport, a sea launch platform off the mainland coast in Chinese coastal waters.
Ceres 1S stands 19 m in height and 1.4 m in diameter, launching 400 kg to LEO with four stages. Onboard were four Tianqi satellites for Internet of Things (IOT) communications in LEO. Current reports point to the payload being the Tianqi-1 33-36 satellites.
A Chang Zheng 3B/E launched on Friday, Dec. 20 at 15:12 UTC from Launch Complex 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China. On board was another classified Tongxin Jishu Shiyan satellite headed into geostationary transfer orbit. Also known as Communication Technology Experimental Satellite-12, it folllows the launch of TJSW-13 on Dec. 3 from the same launch site. It also marks an increase in launch cadence of this vehicle, lifting off only 17 days after the 100th flight of a CZ-3B.
SpaceX launched the Bandwagon-2 rideshare mission atop a Falcon 9 on Saturday, Dec. 21, at 3:34 AM PST (11:34 UTC) from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Launch of the Bandwagon-1 mission. (Credit: SpaceX)
Bandwagon-2 was the second mission in SpaceX’s Bandwagon rideshare program, which provides small satellite operators with frequent launch opportunities to mid-inclination LEOs. The targeted spacecraft for Bandwagon missions are small satellites ranging from a couple to a couple of hundred kilograms.
30 payloads were carried on Bandwagon-2. Falcon 9 launched south out of Vandenberg to an orbit inclined by 45.4 degrees with payload deployment orbits at 510 km and 590 km in altitude. These included 425 Project Flight 3 – the third in a contract of five reconnaissance satellites for the South Korean Defence Acquisition Program. Following stage separation, booster B1071 completed its 21st flight, performing a return-to-launch-site (RTLS) landing at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg. This booster has been active since Feb 2022, carrying three missions for the National Reconnaissance Office and two similar rideshare missions for Transporter 8 and 9.
Electron/Curie | Owl The Way Up
Rocket Lab launched the Owl The Way Up mission for Synspective with its Electron rocket at 14:00 UTC on Saturday, Dec. 21, from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1B (LC-1B) on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. Launch was originally set to occur on Tuesday, but was pushed back a couple of times due to heavy rain and strong winds at the launch site.
The owl is set to take flight again🦉
We’ve been the sole launch provider for @Synspective since we launched their 1st StriX spacecraft in 2020.
Next week’s mission, scheduled for lift-off 18 Dec NZT, will be our 6th of a total of 16 launches booked with the team at… pic.twitter.com/xQh7beBJ9g
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) December 12, 2024
The mission saw Electron and its Curie upper stage deploy a single Synspective StriX satellite. This was the sixth mission in a total of 16 purchased by Synspective for launch on Electron. The StriX satellites offer SAR capabilities and are designed to collect observations that can detect millimeter-level changes in Earth’s surface from space with a ground resolution of 1 to 3 m over a swath of 10-30 km.
Standing 18 m tall and 1.2 m wide, Electron is among the smallest orbital rockets currently in operation. Rocket Lab utilized its Curie upper stage on this mission to launch the StriX satellite to SSO..
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 12-2
The sixth and final planned Falcon 9 launch of the week is the Starlink Group 12-2 mission. Liftoff occurred on Monday, Dec. 23, at 12:00 AM EST (05:00 UTC) from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at the start of a launch window that extended until 4:31 AM EST (09:31 UTC).
The 23 Starlink v2 Mini internet satellites, 13 of which include direct-to-cell capabilities, launched into a LEO inclined 43 degrees on a southeasterly trajectory out of the Cape. The booster, B1080, landed on the autonomous droneship Just Read The Instructions, stationed approximately 640 km downrange.
Booster B1080 was flying for the 14th time, having previously flown Axion 2, Euclid, Starlink Group 6-11, Starlink Group 6-24, Axion 3, CRS-30, Starlink Group 6-52, Starlink Group 6-62, Astra 1P/SES-24, CRS-21, Starlink Group 10-10, Starlink Group 6-69, and Starlink Group 12-1. The booster’s first flight was on May 21, 2023.
This mission was Falcon 9’s 415th mission overall and 139th mission of 2024. Additionally, this mission served as SpaceX’s 431st Falcon 9/Falcon Heavy mission overall and 131st mission of 2024. Lastly, Starlink Group 12-2 was the 253rd orbital launch attempt worldwide in 2024.
Originally targeted for Friday, Dec. 20, the SpaceX launch of the Thuraya 4-NGS mission for United Arab Emirates-based Yahsat is now scheduled for Friday, Dec. 27 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Thuraya 4-NGS is a communications satellite for Yahsat built by Airbus Defense and Space. The satellite will feature a 12 m L-band antenna and onboard processing, which provides advanced routing flexibility of up to 3,200 channels. The satellite’s design is based on the all-electric Airbus Eurostar-Neo platform.
Falcon 9 will launch the 5,000 kg satellite to a geostationary transfer orbit after following an easterly trajectory out of the Cape. The booster supporting this mission has not yet been announced but will land on one of SpaceX’s droneships in the Atlantic following launch.
Falcon 9 | Astranis Block 2 Mission
This launch has been postponed following a rare engine abort at ignition on the first attempt on Friday, Dec. 20. Initially, Falcon 9 was expected to make a second attempt to launch the Astranis Block 2 Mission launch from SLC-40 in Florida on Sunday, Dec. 22, at 12:00 AM EST (05:00 UTC), but this attempt did not take place. No revised date has been announced to date.
The payload for this mission consists of four MicroGEO satellites built by Astranis Space Technologies Corp. in San Francisco, California. Designed to be smaller than typical geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites, the MicroGEO satellites will provide broadband access and on-orbit services for various Astranis customers. One satellite will provide the Philippines with broadband access via Orbits Corp, two satellites will provide internet connectivity services to aircraft and cruise ships through Anuvu, and the final satellite called Utilitysat will be used by Astranis for an unknown purpose.
Falcon 9 will launch the four satellites to GEO after flying east out of the Cape. Following liftoff, the currently unknown booster will land on one of SpaceX’s autonomous droneships, which will be stationed in the Atlantic
(Lead image: Launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
