The first week of December features 10 orbital launches from six different providers across four continents. SpaceX will launch five Starlink missions, deploying satellites to various orbital shells from California and Florida.
Internationally, Arianespace launched South Korea’s KOMPSAT-7 Earth observation satellite on Vega C, Rocket Lab will fly JAXA’s RAISE-4 technology demonstrator on Electron, and Japan’s H3 will close out the week with the Michibiki No. 5 navigation satellite. Additionally, two unknown payloads will launch on two Chinese rockets on Saturday.
Arianespace successfully launched South Korea’s KOMPSAT-7 satellite on Monday, Dec. 1, at 17:21 UTC aboard a Vega C rocket from L’Ensemble de lancement Vega (ELV) at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. The mission, designated VV28, was the sixth Vega C flight and the third of 2025.
KOMPSAT-7 (Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite 7) is an approximately 2,000 kg Earth observation satellite developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). The spacecraft features the Advanced Earth Imaging Sensor System with High Resolution (AEISS-HR) instrument, providing 30 cm resolution in panchromatic mode, 1.2 m resolution in color mode, and four-meter resolution in infrared mode.
Vega C placed KOMPSAT-7 into a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) during a mission lasting approximately 45 minutes from liftoff to satellite separation. Vega C is a four-stage rocket standing 35 m tall and 3.4 m in diameter. The first three stages utilize solid rocket motors, while the fourth stage features an RD-843 engine with UDMH and N2O4 propellants. This launch marks the ninth Korean satellite overall launched by Arianespace.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 15-10
Starlink Group 15-10 launched on Monday, Dec. 1, at 9:28 PM PST (Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 05:28 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California. The mission deployed 27 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a polar or near-polar low-Earth orbit (LEO).
Group 15 flew into one of the Starlink constellation’s 70-degree inclination shells, designed to provide internet coverage at high latitudes, including in Alaska, northern Canada, and Scandinavia. Falcon booster B1081 flew on its 20th mission, will landed on Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific following stage separation.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 6-95
Starlink Group 6-95 launched on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 5:16 PM EST (22:16 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Falcon 9 carrying 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites destined for the Group 6 shell, which operates at approximately 530 km altitude with an inclination of 43 degrees.
The Group 6 shell focuses coverage on lower latitude regions, providing enhanced capacity for densely populated areas between 43 degrees north and south of the equator. The booster, B1077, landed on SpaceX’s A Shortfall of Gravitas autonomous droneship in the Atlantic, completing its 25th mission.
ZhuQue-3 | Demo Flight
The maiden flight of the Chinese Commercial operator LandSpace’s ZhuQue-3 (ZQ-3) rocket, which features a reusable first stage (booster), took place on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 04:00 UTC from Site 96B at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China.
Following flight and stage separation, the booster attempted to land on a designated landing pad approximately 300 km downrange from the launch site; however, it appeared to suffer an anomaly during the landing burn, impacting the ground just metres from the landing pad.
The second stage appears to have achieved orbit as planned, seemingly with no payload for this test flight.
The two-stage ZQ-3 is similar to a Falcon 9, at 76.6 m in height and 4.6 m in diameter. Atop the rocket, a 5.2 m-diameter, 15.5 m-tall fairing will be available for future payloads. Nine TQ-12A engines power the first stage, while the second uses a single TQ-15A vacuum engine. Both stainless steel-built stages use methalox propellants.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 11-25
SpaceX’s third Starlink mission of the week, Starlink Group 11-25, launched Thursday, Dec. 4, at 10:12 AM PST (18:12 UTC) from SLC-4E at VSFB. The mission carried 28 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into the Group 11 shell, which operates at approximately 535 km altitude with an inclination of 53 degrees.
Falcon 9 flew on a southeasterly trajectory following liftoff, with booster B1097 landing on Of Course I Still Love You, stationed in the Pacific Ocean. The Group 11 shell provides coverage optimized for mid-latitude regions.
We’ve completed payload integration and encapsulation at LC-1 with @JAXA_en for our 77th Electron launch.
Next up: Wet Dress Rehearsal for the “RAISE and Shine" mission before the launch window opens on December 5 UTC. pic.twitter.com/cZJFAeAkXD
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) November 30, 2025
Rocket Lab was targeting Thursday, Dec. 4, at 10:00 PM EST (Dec. 5 at 03:00 UTC) for the launch of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) RAISE-4 satellite aboard an Electron rocket. However, that launch date was delayed.
The mission, named “RAISE And Shine,” will liftoff from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1B (LC-1B) on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. This mission marks Rocket Lab’s first dedicated Electron launch directly contracted with JAXA and the company’s 19th launch of 2025.
RAISE-4, which stands for “Rapid Innovative Payload Demonstration Satellite-4,” is a 110 kg technology demonstration satellite that will test eight innovative technologies developed by Japanese companies, universities, and research institutions. Six of the demonstration payloads are re-flights of experiments originally planned for RAISE-3, which failed to reach orbit in October 2022.
Electron will deploy RAISE-4 into an SSO using the three-stage configuration with the optional Curie kick stage. Rocket Lab has established itself as a launch leader for the Japanese space industry, with more than two dozen dedicated missions booked through the end of the decade.
iSpace’s Hyperbola 1 launches from Jiuquan. (Credit: iSpace)
An iSpace Hyperbola 1 rocket is scheduled to launch from Site 95A at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China on Saturday, Dec. 6. Liftoff is scheduled for the opening of a two-hour launch window at 04:00 UTC. The payload being launched is unknown and many launch details remain uncertain.
This launch will mark the second Hyperbola 1 mission of 2025 and the ninth overall since its debut in 2019.
Chang Zheng 8A | Unknown Payload
A Chinese Chang Zheng 8A (CZ-8A) rocket is scheduled to launch on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 07:50 UTC from Commercial Launch Complex 1 (LC-1) at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China. The payload being launched is unknown.
Chang Zheng 8A lifts off on its maiden launch from Wenchang. (Credit: SpaceLens)
The CZ-8A is a 50.54 m tall and 3.35 m diameter rocket developed and operated by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The two-stage rocket features two strap-on liquid-fuelled boosters. The boosters and first stage use liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid kerosene (RP-1) as propellants, while the second stage uses LOX and liquid hydrogen (LH2).
This mission will mark the fifth CZ-8A mission of 2025.
JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries are targeting Sunday, Dec. 7, at 02:30 UTC for the launch of the Michibiki 5 mission aboard an H3-22S rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center.
This launch will mark the eighth flight of the H3 rocket, designated H3 F8, utilizing the H3-22 configuration featuring two LE-9 first-stage engines and two solid rocket boosters. The Quasi-Zenith System (QZS) navigation satellite will be deployed into an inclined geosynchronous transfer orbit.
An H3-22S lifts off from Tanegashima. (Credit: JAXA)
QZS satellites transmit signals interoperable with GPS on L1, L2, and L5 frequencies, enabling positioning accuracy of better than one meter. The system also provides the Centimeter Level Augmentation Service (CLAS) for real-time, centimeter-level precise positioning and the Satellite Report for Disaster and Crisis Management (DC Report) for emergency communications.
The H3 has achieved six consecutive successful launches following its troubled debut in 2023. JAXA retired the H-IIA rocket in June 2025 after 49 successful launches out of 50 attempts, with the H3 now serving as Japan’s primary launch vehicle.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 11-15
The Starlink Group 11-15 mission will launch from SLC-4E at VSFB on Sunday, Dec. 7, at 8:13 AM PST (16:13 UTC). Like the Group 11-25 mission, Falcon 9 is scheduled to deploy 28 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into the Group 11 shell.
The currently unannounced booster will land atop Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific and return to the Port of Long Beach.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 6-92
The final Starlink mission scheduled for this week, Starlink Group 6-92, will launch on Sunday, Dec 7, at 4:40 PM EST (21:40 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center. Falcon 9 is planned to loft another batch of 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to the Group 6 shell. This mission continues SpaceX’s aggressive deployment campaign for this lower-inclination shell.
After flying on a southeast trajectory out of the Cape, Falcon booster B1067 will land atop the Just Read The Instructions droneship in the Atlantic. This mission will mark the booster’s 32nd flight, and, assuming a successful landing, will set a new record for the number of flights completed by one booster.
This week’s eight launches continue the trend of record-breaking orbital launch activity in 2025. SpaceX remains on track to achieve approximately 170 total launches in 2025, having completed more than 150 Falcon 9 missions by late November. The diverse launch manifest underscores the increasingly dynamic global launch market, with the year on track to exceed 300 orbital attempts worldwide.
(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches from Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
