At the start of this week, Monday, Dec. 23, there had been 24 launch attempts worldwide. There was no let-up during the holiday period, with six further launch attempts taking place.
The SpaceX launch manifest for this week included a single customer payload and three batches of Starlink satellites. SpaceX’s target of 136 launches for the year might still have been achieved, but the recent scrub of the Astranis: From One To Many mission and other delays led to SpaceX missing the target by two launches.
Elsewhere, India launched a satellite docking experiment mission, and Russia launched an Earth observation satellite mission. China has flown a single launch from Jiuquan this week, but this mission failed shortly after liftoff.
Roscosmos Soyuz 2.1b | Resurs-P No. 5
On Wednesday, Dec. 25, at 07:45:42 UTC, Russia successfully launched a Soyuz 2.1b rocket from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
As described by Roscosmos, the payload consists of one satellite writing, “The Resurs-P spacecraft No. 5 is designed for high-precision, detailed wide-selective and hyperspectral optical-electronic observation of the Earth’s surface to study natural resources, control pollution, and environmental degradation, search for mineral deposits, assess the state of the ice situation, monitoring emergencies, creating and updating topographic and navigation maps.”
The Soyuz 2.1b rocket used for this mission features decals describing it as the 2,000th R-7 rocket to be launched. The R-7 series was first built in 1957 as a missile but quickly became the workhorse of Soviet and Russian space missions.
The current Soyuz models are direct developments of the original R-7 model, with two major variants: the Soyuz 2.1a, which serves as a base version, and the Soyuz 2.1b, which utilizes a more powerful third stage. Soyuz 2.1b is powered by four RD-107A engines on the first stage (arranged around the second, core stage), a single RD-108A engine on the core stage, and an RD-0124 engine on the third stage. Each stage uses liquid oxygen and kerosene (RP-1) as propellants.
The 2,000th R-7 decal on the Soyuz 2.1b booster. (Credit: Roscosmos)
A Kinetica-1 rocket launched several payloads from Site 130 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. The launch took place on Friday, Dec. 27, at 01:03 UTC. CAS Space has now confirmed that the mission failed in an X post – “The investigation is ongoing. We can confirm that the first two stages were nominal. Stage 3 lost attitude three seconds after ignition and the self-destructing mechanism was activated.”
The payload included the CASAA-Sat project of the Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory (LAM), supported by CNES, started in 2013. It involved more than 200 Master’s students from the IUT of Aix-Marseille University and engineering schools (ISAE, ESEO, etc.).
Also aboard Kinetica-1 was DEAR-3. Standing for Discovery Exploration Advance Rentry, DEAR is operated by AZSPACE and appears to be a flexible orbital laboratory with an option to return a capsule to Earth. Publicity suggests a Sun-synchronous orbit.
Infographic for DEAR-3. (Credit: AZSPACE)
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starship Group 11-3
SpaceX launched the Starlink Group 11-3 mission on Saturday, Dec. 28, at 5:58 PM PST (01:58 UTC on Dec. 29) from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This was the final launch of 2024 from Vandenberg.
This mission was conducted by booster B1075, flying for the 16th time. The Falcon 9 flew on a southeasterly trajectory carrying 22 Starlink V2-Mini satellites, placing the payloads into a low Earth orbit. After the flight, the booster landed successfully on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You. This landing marked the 400th landing attempt of a Falcon booster.
Booster B1075 first flew on Jan. 19, 2023, on the Starlink Group 2-4 mission. Since then, it has also flown Transport and Tracking Tranche 0 1, Starlink Group 2-9, Starlink Group 5-7, Starlink Group 6-20, Starlink Group 7-3, Starlink Group 7-6, Sarah 2 & 3, Starlink Group 7-12, Starlink Group 7-16 & USA 350/351, Starlink Group 9-2, Transporter 11, Starlink Group 9-17, Starlink Group 9-9, and Starlink Group 9-13.
Falcon 9 | Astranis: From One to Many
This launch was postponed following a rare engine abort at ignition on the first launch attempt on Friday, Dec. 20, using booster B1077. A replacement Falcon 9 eventually launched the Astranis: From One to Many mission on Saturday, Dec. 28, at midnight EST (05:00 UTC).
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, Utilitysat, will be used by Astranis for unknown purposes.
Falcon 9 launched the four satellites to GEO after flying east out of the Cape. Following liftoff, the booster, B1083, landed successfully on A Shortfall of Gravitas, one of SpaceX’s autonomous droneships, stationed – 600 km downrange in the Atlantic. Fairing recovery vessel Doug also supported the mission, intending to recover the two fairing halves that fell back to Earth after being jettisoned. One of the fairing halves was flying for the 22nd time.
The four payloads were successfully deployed following a second burn from the Merlin MVac engine on the Falcon 9’s second stage.
Booster B1083 was flying on its seventh mission, having previously flown Crew-8, Starlink Group 6-48, Starlink Group 6-56, Polaris Dawn, CRS-31, and Starlink Group 6-65. The booster’s first flight took place on March 4, 2024.
On Monday, Dec. 30, at 16:30 UTC, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched two satellites as part of the Space Docking Experiment (SPADEX) mission. Each satellite masses 220 kg and will demonstrate autonomous docking technologies in orbit. SPADEX launched atop a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket from First Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in India. A more in-depth article about this mission has been written by Martin Smith for NSF.
LAUNCH! https://t.co/X1ii42Ix7M pic.twitter.com/uicFwyDCH1
— NSF – NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) December 30, 2024
Ananth Technologies Private Limited (ATL) completed the integration of the two satellites for ISRO and handed them over to ISRO at the UR Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru. The SPADEX satellites were then transported to the Indian Spaceport at Sriharikota, where they underwent final testing and preparations for launch.
ISRO generally builds its satellites at the URSC, but this is the first time that ISRO is having its satellites completely assembled, integrated, and tested by the Indian private industry at a private facility. This shift is enabled by space sector reforms that grant more opportunities to India’s private aerospace sector.
In the Core Alone (CA) configuration being used for this mission, India’s PSLV rocket stands 44 meters tall. Four stages power the vehicle into orbit, with no strap-on stages being utilized. The first and third stages utilize solid rocket motors, with the second and fourth stages using liquid propellants. The solid stages provide the power needed to launch PSLV’s payloads, while the liquid stages adjust for any variance from the solid motors’ performance.
Once in orbit, the two satellites, Target and Chaser, will be deployed into a 470 km circular orbit at a 55-degree inclination. The PSLV fourth stage will provide the two spacecraft with slightly different velocities, resulting in Target being deployed “ahead” of Chaser. Chaser will then make up the difference, rendezvous with Target, and perform an autonomous docking. Following successful systems checks, Target and Chaser will separate to perform individual tasks for the remainder of their missions.
The PSLV fourth stage is also equipped with the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module 4 (POEM-4) spacecraft, which will carry several experiments.
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 12-6
SpaceX had planned to launch another batch of Group 12 Starlink v2-Mini satellites into low-Earth orbit on Monday, Dec. 30, at 3:02 AM EST (08:02 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This late addition to the launch manifest had seen the liftoff time pushed deep into the four-hour launch window, but has now been postponed until Dec. 31, at 12:34 AM EST (05:34 UTC).
Falcon 9 will be flying southeast where the autonomous droneship, Just Read The Instructions, will be stationed for the attempted booster landing -600 km down range.
The booster for this mission will be B1078, flying for the 16th time, having previously flown Crew-6, O3b mPower 3 & 4, Starlink Group 6-4, Starlink Group 6-8, Starlink Group 6-16, Starlink Group 6-31, USSF-124, Starlink Group 6-46, Starlink Group 6-53, Starlink Group 6-60, Starlink Group 10.2, Starlink Group 10-6, Bluebird-1, Starlink Group 10-13, and Starlink Group 6-76. The booster’s first flight was on March 2, 2023.
This will be the 132nd Falcon 9 launch of 2024 and the 134th SpaceX mission of 2024.
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Thuraya 4-NGS
SpaceX’s first launch and first customer launch of 2025 will see Falcon 9 launch the Thuraya 4-NGS mission. Launch is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 1, at midnight EST (05:00 UTC ) from SLC-40 in Florida.
The payload for this mission is an Airbus-built satellite for Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) of the United Arab Emirates. Thuraya 4-NGS is a next-generation mobile telecommunications system that will deliver higher communications capabilities and flexibility while increasing capacity and coverage across Europe, Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East.
Based on the all-electric Airbus Eurostar Neo Platform, Thuraya 4-NGS will incorporate a 12 m L-band antenna and a payload providing onboard processing. This will give the satellite advanced routing flexibility of up to 3,200 channels and dynamic power allocation over many spot beams.
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 12-3
The final launch of 2024 from SLC-40 in Florida was set to occur on Sunday, Dec. 29, but has now been postponed until January 2025. Starlink Group 12-3 will consist of 23 more Starlink v2-Mini satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities. Falcon 9 will launch the satellites to a 43-degree inclination orbit on a southeastern trajectory.
(Lead image: Sunset liftoff of Falcon 9 from LC-39A in December 2024. Credit: Max Evans for NSF)
