Launch Roundup: Starship and multiple Falcon 9 launches planned

Seven launches are scheduled this week by SpaceX and CSNA. CSNA will kick off the week with another Guowang launch, SpaceX launched the NAOS (LUXEOSys) & Others mission, as well as Starship on its tenth flight. Then, SpaceX wrapped up the week with four Starlink missions.

Chang Zhang 8A | Guowang LEO Group 10

Starting the week of Aug. 25, CASC launched the fourth mission of Chang Zhang 8 this year.  The payload for this mission was the Group 10 Guowang low-Earth orbit (LEO) internet satellite constellation. The Chang Zhang 8A lifted off from Commercial LC-1 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China and followed a southeastern trajectory. The launch window opened at 19:00 UTC, and liftoff came shortly after at 19:08 UTC. 

Falcon 9 | NAOS (LUXEOSys) & Others

Eight payloads successfully launched on Falcon 9 on Aug. 26 at 11:53 AM PDT (18:53 UTC) from Space Launch Complex-4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB). The primary payload on this mission was Luxembourg’s NAOS (National Advanced Optical System) satellite, or LUXEOSys. The other satellites included LEAP-1, Pelican-3 & 4, Acadia-6, and FFLY-1, 2 & 3.

The booster, B1063, returned to the launch site and landed at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4). This was B1063’s 27th flight and landing. 

Render of LUXEOSys satellite in sun-synchronous orbit. (Credit: Government of Luxembourg)

All of these imaging satellites were placed in a Sun-synchronous orbit, enabling them to capture images during the daytime. The LUXEOSys reconnaissance satellite will now be able to capture global imagery and deliver the results to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Both LEAP-1 and FFLY-1, 2 & 3, respectively, are Dhruva Space and Pixxel’s first commercial satellite missions. Pelican-3 & 4 are Planet Labs’ very high-resolution imaging satellites. Acadia-6 is Capella Space’s new imaging satellite, featuring synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology, which enables imaging in all weather conditions. 

Starship | Flight 10

The 10th flight of Starship finally lifted off on Aug. 26 at 6:30 PM CDT (23:30 UTC) after two back-to-back scrubs delayed the launch. Successfully launching from Orbital Launch Pad A in Starbase, Texas, Starship and the SpaceX team, after three hard losses of the v2 Ship’s repeated failures following stage separation, completed the planned ascent. The flight objectives for this mission were similar to those of the previous Starship flights.

Following the explosion of Ship 36 at Massey’s test site and a fast-paced recovery, SpaceX stated it had solved the problems that had plagued the Ship. The SpaceX Team successfully deployed eight Starlink v3 simulators following the launch, and since Ship 37 reached entry, it was able to test the experimental v2 heat shield. Booster 16 was not planned to be caught on this mission. SpaceX elected to have the booster splash down to test its hovering capabilities above the Gulf.

For more information on this exciting flight, read NSF’s dedicated Starship Flight 10 article written by Ryan Weber.

Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-56

The week’s first batch of Starlink satellites launched on the Starlink Group 10-56 mission. Launching from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, this mission lifted off at 7:10 AM EDT (11:10 UTC) on Aug. 27. The payload for this Starlink mission included 28 Starlink v2 Mini satellites heading to an inclined orbit at 53.16 degrees.

Booster B1095 made only its second flight and successfully landed on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-11

Following Starlink Group 10-56, more Starlink satellites were sent to LEO on a Falcon 9 on Aug. 28 at 4:12 AM EDT (8:12 UTC). Starlink Group 10-11 included 28 Starlink v2 Mini satellites. The mission launched from the historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Falcon booster B1067 completed its 30th landing, making it one of SpaceX’s most-used boosters. This booster pushed the second stage into space before landing on SpaceX’s droneship, A Shortfall of Gravitas, downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. The head of launches at SpaceX, Kiko Dontchev, mentioned that the current goal is to launch and land 40 times using a single booster. 

Falcon 9 launching 24 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit on Starlink Group 17-6. (Credit: SpaceX).

Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 17-7

The next batch of Starlink satellites launched on the Starlink Group 17-7 mission from SLC-4E at VSFB in California. Falcon 9 lifted off on Aug. 29 at 9:59 PM PDT (4:59 UTC on Aug. 30). This mission carried 24  Starlink v2 Mini satellites to LEO. Booster B1082 successfully landed on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship Of Course I Still Love You, stationed in the Pacific Ocean, after launching its 15th mission.

Falcon 9 launching SpaceX’s 100th Falcon mission of this year on Starlink Group 17-5. (Credit: SpaceX)

Falcon 9| Starlink Group 10-14

The final Starlink mission for this week, Starlink Group 10-14, launched on Aug. 30 at 7:49 AM EDT (11:49 UTC) from SLC-40 at CCSFS. This mission carried 28 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to a LEO with a 53.16-degree inclination. The booster, B1077, landed successfully on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship, Just Read the Instructions.

(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches from Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)