During this active week of launches, SpaceX launched Falcon 9 three times, and New Shepard carried the first all-woman crew above the Kármán line.
On April 10, China successfully launched a Cheng Zhang 3B/E rocket into geostationary transfer orbit. SpaceX launched NROL-192 and Starlink Group 12-17 on April 12, followed by an expected launch of Starlink Group 6-73 on April 14. Then, Blue Origin concluded the week by launching New Shepard on the NS-31 mission on April 14. United Launch Alliance had been scheduled to kick off the week by launching its Atlas V 551 rocket as early as April 9, sending the first operational Kuiper mission into orbit. However, the launch has now been moved to no earlier than April 28.
Cheng Zhang 3B/E lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China at 16:47 UTC on Thursday, April 10. This mission carried the Tongxin Jishu Shiyan Weixing 17 satellite to a geostationary transfer orbit. These TJSW satellites are classified, so not much is known about their true purpose, but China states they are used for communication technology testing.
This was Cheng Zheng 3B/E’s sixth mission beyond low-Earth orbit this year, making it the leading rocket launched beyond low-Earth orbit so far this year. This marks the 569th launch of the Cheng Zhang series of launch vehicles.
Falcon 9 launched NROL-192 from Space Launch Complex-4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on April 12 at 5:17 am PDT (12:17 UTC). The mission was the ninth SpaceX mission to deploy Starshield satellites for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The exact specifications of the Starshield satellites remain highly classified, although they are believed to conduct reconnaissance operations such as Earth imaging and early missile warning detection.
B1071 carried the upper stage on a southern trajectory before the upper stage deployed 22 Starshield satellites into an orbit inclined 70 degrees. After the booster completed its initial ascent, it returned to Earth and landed atop SpaceX’s droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 12-17
SpaceX was supposed to launch Starlink Group 12-17 into LEO from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, April 10. After pushing the launch to the end of the window, SpaceX scrubbed the attempt, and the next launch date was moved to April 12 at 8:53 PM EDT (0:53 UTC on April 13). The payload for this mission consisted of approximately 20 Starlink v2 Mini satellites. These satellites flew on a southeastern trajectory to an orbit inclined at 43 degrees.
The booster for this mission was B1083, flying for the 10th time. It landed on SpaceX’s droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed on the east coast, downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 6-73
The second Starlink mission of this week, Starlink Group 6-73, lifted off just as April 13 turned to April 14 at 12:00 AM EDT (4:00 UTC on April 14) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This mission carried approximately 20 Starlink v2 Mini satellites on a southeastern trajectory to an orbit inclined at 43 degrees.
The booster for this mission was B1067, breaking its own record again. On this mission, B1067 lifted off, left a beautiful jellyfish from the sun over the horizon shining on the expelled propellant of the rocket, and continued on its way. It successfully landed for its 27th time on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship Just Read the Instructions, which was stationed on the east coast.
On April 14 at 9:30 AM EDT (13:30 UTC), Blue Origin’s suborbital New Shepard rocket carried a crew of six women past the Kármán line on the NS-31 mission. Launching from Launch Site One in West Texas, New Shepard headed on a suborbital trajectory for its 31st mission.
The countdown to NS-31 is on!
Watch live here on April 14. pic.twitter.com/hIq3kHbtTx— Blue Origin (@blueorigin) April 7, 2025
This marked New Shepard’s 11th crewed flight. The mission’s all-woman crew included Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn, and Lauren Sánchez. Once above the Kármán line, the crew experienced several minutes of weightlessness before returning to Earth around 11 minutes after launch.
The booster that launched this mission was NS5, lifting off for its third flight. The booster successfully landed back at the launch site at Blue Origin’s North Landing Pad after pushing the capsule past the Kármán line. This was Blue Origin’s 29th successful landing and 8th consecutive successful landing.
Atlas V 551 | Project Kuiper (KA-01)
The first operational Kuiper mission was scheduled to launch on April 9 at 7:00 PM EDT (23:00 UTC) but had to scrub due to weather, with winds and cumulus clouds causing issues throughout the window. Now, United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V will lift off from Space Launch Complex-41 (SLC-41) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida no earlier than April 28, carrying 27 Kuiper satellites into low-Earth orbit (LEO).
Every Atlas V launch features a three-digit code that defines the rocket’s unique setup. For this mission, an Atlas V 551 will fly. The first digit identifies the fairing size, measuring five meters in length. The second digit denotes the five solid rocket boosters attached to the vehicle, while the last digit indicates the number of engines on the second stage.
This launch designation signifies the Atlas V’s most robust configuration at liftoff, enabling it to carry the Kuiper satellites to an orbit at an altitude of 450 km. The batch of Kuiper satellites will be the heaviest payload ever launched by the Atlas V.
Project Kuiper is expected to evolve into a mega-constellation of broadband internet satellites positioned in LEO. It aims to provide lower-latency internet, specifically to rural areas. Kuiper Systems LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon, manages the project. This partnership provides the project with strong financial backing. ULA’s two launch vehicles, Atlas V and Vulcan, will launch 45 Kuiper missions, while other launch providers, like Arianespace, Blue Origin, and SpaceX, will launch 30 additional missions.
ULA's Atlas V 551 rocket rolling from the VIF to SLC-41 at the CCSFS ahead of launch on the Kuiper 1 mission for Amazon, currently scheduled for tomorrow, April 9th, with the 2 hour launch window opening at 7 p.m. EDT (2300 UTC)@NASASpaceflight https://t.co/BEepgAKwKe pic.twitter.com/lkYVZmKkL1
— Elisar Priel (@ENNEPS) April 8, 2025
Ultimately, Project Kuiper is expected to consist of 3,236 satellites spread across 98 orbital planes within three distinct orbital layers at altitudes of 590 km, 610 km, and 630 km.
(Lead Image: Falcon 9 launches into the Florida skies. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
