A brand new week of spaceflight is approaching with SpaceX preparing to launch two Starlink missions, China getting ready to send two payloads to orbit, including one on the powerful Chang Zheng 5 (CZ-5) rocket, and Roscosmos preparing to launch Russian-built satellites to orbit atop Soyuz.
Late on Feb. 22, Starlink Group 7-15 will take 22 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to low-Earth orbit (LEO), followed by China launching their CZ-5 rocket to a geostationary orbit (GEO) on Feb. 23. SpaceX will then launch its second Falcon 9 of the week on Feb. 24, with Starlink Group 6-39 lofting 24 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to LEO. Then, after a short break, Roscosmos will launch a Soyuz 2.1b rocket, taking two payloads to a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). About six hours after the launch of Soyuz, Chang Zheng 3B/E (CZ-3B/E) will launch from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China.
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 7-15
SpaceX is starting the week off with the launch of the Starlink Group 7-15 mission. The mission is set to lift off on Feb. 22 at 8:11 PM PST (04:11 UTC on Feb. 23) from Space Launch Complex (SLC) 4E at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Group 7-15 will carry 22 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to LEO on a southeastern trajectory into an initial orbit of 286 by 296 kilometers, inclined by 53 degrees. These satellites will support the thousands of other Starlink satellites already providing internet to people worldwide.
The booster for this mission is B1061, flying for the 19th time. It will land atop SpaceX’s autonomous droneship Of Course I Still Love You, which will be stationed downrange in the Pacific Ocean. This will be Falcon 9’s 303rd mission overall and the 17th mission of this year.
Chang Zheng 5 | Unknown Payload
China will continue its impressive 2024 launch schedule with the launch of CZ-5 on Feb. 23 at 11:30 UTC. Launch Complex (LC) 101 of the Wengchang Space Launch Site is supporting this launch from the east coast of China. CZ-5 is China’s largest active heavy-lift launch vehicle, with the capability to take 14,400 kilograms to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) or 5,100 kilograms to GEO. This mission includes an extended fairing for CZ-5 for the first time.
Launch of Chang Zheng 5 on the Yaogan-41 mission in December 2023. (Credit: CNSA)
While CZ-5’s mission is not yet confirmed, it is presumed to be launching Tongxin Jishu Shiyan-11. Tongxin Jishu Shiyan is a Chinese military satellite program that is believed to be used for early warning detection and signals intelligence for China’s People’s Liberation Army. If this is what is launching, CZ-5 will be heading for GEO. This will be CZ-5’s first mission this year after launching only once last year.
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 6-39
Starlink Group 6-39 will launch on another SpaceX Falcon 9 on Feb. 24 at 4:59 PM EST (21:59 UTC). Group 6-39 will launch from SLC-40 out of the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The 24 Starlink v2 Mini satellites are headed to LEO on a southeastern trajectory to an initial orbit of approximately 275 by 285 kilometers, inclined by 43 degrees. This will be the largest number of the v2 Mini satellites carried by Falcon 9 thus far.
The booster expected to launch this mission is unknown at this time, but it will land on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas around 630 kilometers downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. Following this launch, SpaceX will be on pace to reach 120 total launches within 2024, falling short of the planned 148 launches. They will need to launch nearly three times a week every week from now on to reach this goal.
Roscosmos Soyuz 2.1b | Meteor-M n°2-4
A Soyuz is planned to take flight on Feb. 29 at 05:43 UTC. Soyuz 2.1b will launch from Site 1S at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia for its first mission of 2024. This mission will launch a Meteor-M satellite — a new generation of meteorological satellites — and 17 cubesats to SSO.
Meteor-M satellite preparing for encapsulation. (Credit: Roscosmos)
Russia and the former Soviet Union have been launching Meteor meteorology satellites since 1969. This new generation of satellites will feature a low-resolution multispectral scanner, multichannel scanning unit, imager/sounder, advanced infrared radiation sounder, data collection system, and a modified rescue radio complex. These instruments will be used for cloud cover mapping, Earth surface monitoring, sea surface wind detection, and monitoring temperature and humidity profiles.
The 17 cubesats, built by private company SPUTNIX, will be used to automatically identify and survey shipping routes in the ocean as well as monitor agricultural land and environmental systems all over Russia.
Chang Zheng 3B/E | Unknown Payload
Launch of CZ-3B/E in January 2021. (Credit CNSA)
The second Chinese launch of the week will see the launch of a CZ-3B/E. This mission will lift off on Feb. 29 and has a four-hour launch window starting at 12:00 UTC. CZ-3B/E will launch from Launch Complex 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China on an eastern trajectory. The payload is uncertain at this time, but Zhongxing and Gaofen are two likely satellite prospects of what could be flying on this mission.
The labeling on CZ-3B/E is due to it being an upgraded version of the Chang Zheng 3B (CZ-3B) and Chang Zheng 3. CZ-3B/E has an enlarged first stage and boosters compared to the CZ-3B, enabling the launch of additional mass.
(Lead image: Launch of the Telkomsat Merah Putih 2 mission. Credit: SpaceX)
The post Launch Roundup: SpaceX to launch two Starlink missions; China to launch Chang Zheng 5 appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com.
from NASASpaceFlight.com https://ift.tt/Dd3e16C
Comments
Post a Comment