While the spaceflight world waits for a possible Starship Integrated Flight Test-2 (IFT-2) launch from Texas this week, three launches are currently scheduled from China as well as both main coasts of the United States. One is thought to be a Chang Zheng-2C (CZ-2C) from China, and another is Starlink 6-28 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). There is also Starlink 7-7 from Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California on the late evening of Nov. 16 to round out the week, aside from the potential IFT-2 launch as soon as Nov. 17.
Many Chinese launches are not announced well in advance, and there is always a possibility that the country could add another flight to this week’s manifest, but for right now the flight on Nov. 16 is the only Chinese flight on the schedule between Nov. 13 and Nov. 19. The only other flights besides this and Starship that are firmly scheduled so far this week are the Starlink launches out of Florida and California.
CZ-2C on the pad after tower retraction. (Credit: CASC)
The first launch of the week, at least at present, is scheduled from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China on Thursday, Nov. 16. The launch vehicle is not confirmed, but is thought to be a CZ-2C flying from SLS-2 at Jiuquan. Launch time is believed to be at 04:00 UTC, and the trajectory appears to be consistent with a Sun-synchronous polar orbit, as per filed airspace notices.
These types of orbits are commonly used by Earth observation and reconnaissance satellites. Possible payload candidates for this flight are said to be Aiji-2 or Siwei Gaojing-3 01/02. However, Yaogan-32 03 A/B and Jishu Ceshi A/B have also been mentioned as candidates.
The MisrSat-2 completed at a new satellite integration facility in New Cairo, Egypt. (Credit: CASC)
Aiji is the Chinese word for Egypt, and this satellite, an Earth observation spacecraft, is a joint project by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and the Egyptian Space Agency. The satellite, also known as MisrSat-2, was finished at a new satellite assembly and testing center, built by China, in New Cairo, Egypt.
Egypt has become the first African country with complete satellite assembling and integration testing capabilities. The testing facility and MisrSat-2 satellite would follow the flights of the Egyptian Horus-1 and Horus-2 remote sensing satellites — also flown from SLS-2 at Jiuquan — aboard CZ-2C vehicles earlier this year.
Launch of the Egyptian Horus-2 satellite, built in China. (Credit: CGWIC)
Siwei Gaojing-3 01/02 is a pair of satellites that use synthetic aperture radar to observe Earth even through clouds or otherwise less-than-ideal imaging conditions for optical satellites. This pair would join another two Siwei Gaojing satellites already in orbit. The China Siwei Survey and Mapping Technology Co. Ltd. is an Earth observation company that is a subsidiary of CASC.
The Yaogan-32 satellites are remote sensing spacecraft for military purposes similar to the United States satellites with a prefix of USA or certain Soviet/Russian Kosmos satellites. Not much is currently known in the West about the Jishu Ceshi satellites.
View of a stack of 21 Starlink v2 Mini satellites before being enclosed in their fairing. (Credit: SpaceX)
The next planned flight was a Falcon 9 launch of Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) at CCSFS. That launch has been delayed from its Thursday night slot, to an unknown date at this time, with 23 v2 Mini satellites aboard. The specific booster is not yet known, but it is going on a southeast trajectory like other Group 6 launches. Just Read The Instructions will be the drone ship for the booster landing.
A Falcon 9 stands at SLC-4E at the Vandenberg Space Force Base. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF)
The third planned flight of this week is Starlink 7-7 from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, currently set for very late on the evening of Nov. 16 on the West Coast. Launch time is currently set for 11:38 PM PST (07:38 UTC on Nov. 17). The trajectory used by Group 7 launches out of VSFB, including this one, is southeast to an orbit inclined 53 degrees to the Equator. The drone ship Of Course I Still Love You will be out in the Pacific to support booster landing operations.
This flight would be the seventh Group 7 flight, and all Group 7 flights so far have been out of VSFB. The Starlink 7-6 flight carried 22 v2 Mini satellites, as opposed to earlier flights that carried 21, and there were 127 satellites launched for this group before this launch. Starlink 7-7 would likely carry 22 satellites as well, though this is not yet confirmed.
In addition, Starlink 7-7 would be launching just six days after Transporter-9 if the Nov. 17 date holds. This would be a record time between launches for the SpaceX operation at VSFB, and would likely be about the fastest turnaround possible with the current launch infrastructure.
Falcon 9 launches from SLC-4E at the Vandenberg Space Force Base, with the older-style T/E in use. (Credit: SpaceX)
The transporter-erector at SLC-4E uses an older structure that does not retract in a “throwback” manner like the newer structure in Florida, so the turnaround time is slightly longer for the West Coast pad. Nevertheless, this flight would be the 25th Falcon 9 launch out of VSFB, along with being the 81st Falcon 9 and 85th SpaceX orbital flight of 2023.
There are currently over 5,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, out of 5,422 Starlink satellites launched overall through the life of the project, from 2018 onward. This includes around 730 v2 Mini satellites, which were developed to be launched from the Falcon 9 as the full-sized Starlink v2 satellites to be launched on Starship are not yet able to be launched.
The v2 Mini satellites have improvements over the v1.5 satellites that preceded them. These include more powerful argon Hall-effect thrusters as well as a more powerful phased array antenna. Each v2 Mini satellite can provide four times more bandwidth than a v1.5 satellite. The Starlink broadband service is now available throughout the United States as well as many other countries and on all six non-polar continents.
Ship 25 and Booster 9 stacked on the orbital launch pad at Starbase. (Credit: Jack Beyer for NSF)
This flight will be the 80th Falcon 9 flight of 2023 and the 84th SpaceX orbital launch overall for this year as well, as the company attempts to make 100 Falcon family flights in one calendar year for the first time. Over the past six years, the Falcon family has made record-breaking strides in its yearly launch cadence, beginning with its first double-digit launch year in 2017.
From 2017, when the Falcon 9 achieved 18 flights, including the first flights with reused boosters, to this year, the Falcon rocket family has continuously increased its launch cadence through improvements such as the Block 5 booster as well as launch pad upgrades and additional drone ships. For 2024, SpaceX is planning up to 144 flights, or 12 flights per month.
Starship – Integrated Flight Test-2
The long-awaited Starship IFT-2 launch is currently scheduled for Nov. 17 at 7:00 AM CST (13:00 UTC) from the Orbital Launch Pad at Starbase, Texas. IFT-2 is to test out major improvements in the booster, ship, and launch pad. Booster 9 and Ship 25 are planned to launch on a flight that is meant to take the ship to a speed just short of orbital velocity, then descend to the ocean off Hawaii.
(Lead image: Falcon 9 B1076 at SLC-40 prior to the SES mPOWER 5 & 6 flight. Credit: SES)
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