On the heels of a busy April, activity is ramping up for May with launches from five countries and six launch sites on three continents this week. A new orbital launch site in Australia was scheduled to make its debut, but was delayed due to an issue with the launch vehicle, while launches from sites in India, China, New Zealand, and the United States took place.
Australian launch provider Gilmour Space had been preparing its Eris orbital rocket for its first flight from a launch site in Bowen, Queensland, Australia but the attempt has been scrubbed. Across the Tasman Sea, Rocket Lab successfully launched an Earth observation satellite for iQPS. The Indian Space Research Organisation launched its own Earth observation satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India, but the launch failed.
China planned a pair of launches from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, including a CZ-2D mission as well as one with the methane-fueled ZhuQue-2E. Both Chinese launches flew successfully. Finally, SpaceX planned four Falcon 9 launches with Starlink satellites from its pads in California and Florida, with all of them launching successfully.