Launch Roundup: SpaceX plans for five customer missions; Rocket Lab to launch mission for Synspective
The orbital launch manifest for the week of Dec. 16 through Dec. 22 is set to be one of the busiest yet, with 12 total launches currently planned worldwide. SpaceX plans to launch seven Falcon 9 missions this week, with five customer missions, one rideshare mission, and one Starlink mission.
Outside of the U.S., three orbital launches are scheduled out of China with the Chang Zheng 5B, Chang Zheng 2D, and Ceres-1S rockets. Rocket Lab plans to launch its Electron rocket on the Owl The Way Up mission, and private Japanese launch company Space One is set to attempt a launch of its Kairos rocket.
Chang Zheng 5B/YZ-2 | SatNet LEO Group 01
A Chinese Chang Zheng 5B (CZ-5B) is set to kick off the week by launching the SatNet LEO Group 01 mission from Launch Complex (LC) 101 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China. Liftoff is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 16, at 10:00 UTC. Rocket hardware was first spotted at Wenchang in early November, with the rocket rolling out to LC-101 on Dec. 10.
CZ-5B is a variation of the Chang Zheng 5, China’s most powerful heavy-lift launch vehicle. Standing 54 m tall with three stages, CZ-5B can loft 15,000 kg to low-Earth orbit (LEO). CZ-5B will fly with the Yuanzheng-2 (YZ-2) upper stage for this mission.
The payload for this mission is the first batch of 10 satellites for the Chinese state-owned GuoWang mega constellation, also known as SatNet. Once in orbit, the China Satellite Network Group will operate the constellation, which is expected to grow to around 13,000 satellites.
Chang Zheng 2D | Unknown Payload
On Monday, the second of two Chinese launches will see a Cheng Zheng 2D (CZ-2D) launch at 18:55 UTC from LC-9 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the Shanxi Province of China with an unknown payload. Liftoff was originally scheduled for last weekend but was scrubbed and pushed to Monday.
The payload for this mission is currently unknown but is suspected to be a second batch of PIESAT-2 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites for ZhuZhou Space. The first batch was launched into a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) in early November atop a Chang Zheng 5C rocket. The constellation will grow to 16 satellites by mid-2025 and use X-band.
Falcon 9 will launch the RRT-1 mission on Monday from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the first of seven Falcon 9 launches planned for this week. Liftoff is scheduled for 7:52 PM EST (00:52 UTC on Dec. 17), with backup launch opportunities available starting Tuesday. This mission was initially scheduled to launch on Friday, Dec. 13, but was scrubbed due to high winds.
RRT-1 is a mission for the U.S. Space Force. The payload is suspected to be the GPS III-10 satellite, though limited information is available. Falcon 9 will fly the satellite to a medium-Earth orbit on a northeast trajectory out of the Cape.
GPS III (also known as Navstar-3) is the first evolution of the third generation of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. GPS III improves positioning, navigating, and timing services for all GPS users worldwide. GPS III satellites also feature increased resistance to jamming and spoofing through M-code security algorithms. When fully deployed in orbit, the constellation will utilize a cross-linked command control architecture, allowing for faster updates and less ground station usage.
Artist’s impression of a GPS III satellite in orbit. (Credit: Lockheed Martin)
GPS III satellites are built on Lockheed Martin’s A2100M satellite bus. Each satellite carries eight deployable antennas, which are built by Northrup Grumman.
Falcon 9 booster B1085 is supporting this mission, flying its fourth mission since its first in August. Following liftoff and stage separation, B1085 will land atop SpaceX’s autonomous droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, stationed downrange from SLC-40 in the Atlantic. If schedules hold, B1085’s fourth landing attempt will be Falcon’s 400th recovery attempt.
Falcon 9’s second mission of the week will see the launch of the NROL-149 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Launch is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 1:20 AM PST (09:20 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The nature of NROL-149’s payload is classified but is expected to be the sixth batch of Starshield satellites built by SpaceX and Northrup Grumman for the NRO.
The booster supporting this mission has not yet been announced but is planned to land on SpaceX’s west coast droneship Of Course I Still Love You, which will be stationed downrange in the Pacific.
Electron/Curie | Owl The Way Up
Rocket Lab is set to launch the Owl The Way Up mission for Synspective with its Electron rocket at 14:00 UTC on Tuesday, Dec. 17, from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1B (LC-1B) on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. Electron’s launch window extends until 15:15 UTC.
The owl is set to take flight again
We’ve been the sole launch provider for @Synspective since we launched their 1st StriX spacecraft in 2020.
Next week’s mission, scheduled for lift-off 18 Dec NZT, will be our 6th of a total of 16 launches booked with the team at… pic.twitter.com/xQh7beBJ9g
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) December 12, 2024
The mission will see Electron and its Curie upper stage deploy a single Synspective StriX satellite. This is the sixth mission in a total of 16 purchased by Synspective for launch on Electron. The StriX satellites offer SAR capabilities and are designed to collect observations that can detect millimeter-level changes in Earth’s surface from space with a ground resolution of 1 to 3 m over a swath of 10-30 km.
Standing 18 m tall and 1.2 m wide, Electron is among the smallest orbital rockets currently in operation. Rocket Lab will utilize its Curie upper stage on this mission to launch the StriX satellite to SSO.
SpaceX plans to launch the fourth pair of O3b mPOWER satellites for SES on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 3:59 PM EST (20:59 UTC) from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Falcon 9 is expected to launch at the beginning of the window, which extends until 5:26 PM EST (22:26 UTC).
Falcon 9 will launch the seventh and eighth O3b mPOWER satellites into a medium-Earth orbit after flying a due east trajectory out of the Cape. The satellites are the second generation of high-throughput and low-latency internet satellites built by SES, allowing the company to allocate bandwidth and power dynamically to customers as required. Boeing built the two satellites in El Segundo, California, and shipped them to the Cape in November.
Each satellite features newly redesigned power modules that address the previous electrical issues experienced by the first six O3b mPOWER satellites. These electrical issues significantly impaired the performance of the satellites and led to SES extending their contract with Boeing by two satellites, bringing the finished constellation to 13 total satellites. Once fully operational, the constellation will use the first six impaired satellites as spares and commit to fully operating the latter seven satellites. SES expects the final pair of O3b mPOWER satellites to be launched in 2026.
The booster launching this mission has not yet been confirmed and will land on SpaceX’s droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic.
Japanese commercial launch company Space One is expected to attempt to launch the second flight of its Kairos rocket this week. After scrubbing two launch attempts on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15, Space One looks to try for its third launch attempt on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 02:00 UTC during a 20-minute launch window. Launch is set to occur from Spaceport Kii, Space One’s dedicated launch site for Kairos located in the Wakayama Prefecture in Japan.
Following liftoff, Kairos will launch its payloads into an SSO at 500 km altitude. The payloads aboard Kairos are a 50 kg Tarara-1 microsatellite and four 3U cubesats built by high school students. The primary payload is a satellite including the first Buddha statue to launch into orbit, enshrined atop a small encasing dubbed the Kounji Temple. Following payload deployment, the Kairos upper stage will deorbit itself and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
Space One’s first Kairos launch attempt saw the vehicle experience an anomaly and subsequent rapid unscheduled disassembly only a few seconds into flight due to a lower-than-expected thrust rate, triggering the rocket’s automatic flight termination system.
Kairos is similar in size to Rocket Lab’s Electron, standing 18 m in height and 1.5 m in diameter. It is capable of launching 250 kg to LEO and 150 kg to SSO. Comprised of four stages, the first three utilize solid motors developed by IHI Aerospace, while the fourth is liquid-fuelled. Eventually, Space One hopes to increase its launch cadence to surpass JAXA, specifically aiming to reach 20 launches per year before the end of the decade.
First launch of Space One’s Kairos rocket. (Credit: Kyodo)
Falcon 9 | Astranis Block 2 Mission
The third Falcon 9 launch within 24 hours will see the Astranis Block 2 Mission launch from SLC-40 in Florida on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 10:38 PM EST (03:38 UTC on Dec. 18). Falcon 9’s launch window extends until 2:57 AM EST on Dec. 18 (07:57 UTC).
The payload for this mission consists of four MicroGEO satellites built by Astranis Space Technologies Corp. in San Francisco, California. Designed to be smaller than typical geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites, the MicroGEO satellites will provide broadband access and on-orbit services for various Astranis customers. One satellite will provide the Philippines with broadband access via Orbits Corp, two satellites will provide internet connectivity services to aircraft and cruise ships through Anuvu, and the final satellite will be reconfigured to replace the failed Arcturus satellite.
Falcon 9 will launch the four satellites to GEO after flying east out of the Cape. Following liftoff, the currently unknown booster will land on one of SpaceX’s autonomous droneships, which will be stationed in the Atlantic.
Chinese private space launch company Galactic Energy is expected to launch its Ceres 1S rocket on Thursday, Dec. 19, at 10:20 UTC from the Haiyang Spaceport, a sea launch platform off the mainland coast in Chinese coastal waters. The launch window opens at 10:07 UTC and closes at 10:36 UTC.
Details on the rocket launching this mission and the payload being launched remain highly uncertain. Ceres 1S stands 19 m in height and 1.4 m in diameter, launching 400 kg to LEO with four stages. Current reports point to the payload being the Tianqi-1 33-36 satellites.
SpaceX plans to launch the Bandwagon-2 rideshare mission atop a Falcon 9 on Friday, Dec. 20, at 3:53 AM PST (11:53 UTC) from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The launch window extends to 4:33 AM PST (12:33 UTC).
Launch of the Bandwagon-1 mission. (Credit: SpaceX)
Bandwagon-2 is the second mission in SpaceX’s Bandwagon rideshare program, which provides small satellite operators with frequent launch opportunities to mid-inclination LEOs. The targeted spacecraft for Bandwagon missions are ESPA-class payloads of up to 50 kg.
Approximately 15 payloads will be launched on Bandwagon-2. Falcon 9 will launch south out of Vandenberg to an orbit inclined by 45.4 degrees with payload deployment orbits at 510 km and 590 km in altitude. Following stage separation, the currently unannounced booster will perform a return-to-launch-site (RTLS) landing at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg.
The second of three planned Falcon 9 launches on Friday will see SpaceX launch the Thuraya 4-NGS mission for United Arab Emirates-based Yahsat. Launch is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 20, at 8:36 PM EST (01:26 UTC on Dec. 21) from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The launch window extends until 12:53 AM EST on Dec. 21 (05:53 UTC).
Thuraya 4-NGS is a communications satellite for Yahsat built by Airbus Defense and Space. The satellite will feature a 12 m L-band antenna and onboard processing, which provides advanced routing flexibility of up to 3,200 channels. The satellite’s design is based on the all-electric Airbus Eurostar-Neo platform.
Falcon 9 will launch the 5,000 kg satellite to a geostationary transfer orbit after following an easterly trajectory out of the Cape. The booster supporting this mission has not yet been announced but will land on one of SpaceX’s droneships in the Atlantic following launch.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 12-2
The seventh and final planned Falcon 9 launch of the week is the Starlink Group 12-2 mission. Liftoff is set for Friday, Dec. 20, at 11:28 PM EST (04:28 UTC on Dec. 21) from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a launch window that extends until 3:28 AM EST on Dec. 21 (08:28 UTC).
The 23 Starlink v2 Mini internet satellites, 13 of which include direct-to-cell capabilities, will launch into a LEO inclined 43 degrees on a southeasterly trajectory out of the Cape. The yet-to-be-announced booster is expected to land downrange in the Atlantic atop one of SpaceX’s east coast droneships.
This mission will be Falcon 9’s 417th mission overall and 131st mission of 2024. Additionally, this mission will serve as SpaceX’s 433rd mission overall and 133rd mission of 2024. Lastly, Starlink Group 12-2, if schedules hold, will be the 254th orbital launch attempt worldwide in 2024.
(Lead image: Launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
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