Eight orbital launch attempts are scheduled for this week, with SpaceX and Chinese launches comprising a majority of the launch manifest. SpaceX is scheduled to launch two batches of Starlink satellites into the constellation’s Group 6 shell, as well as a batch of reconnaissance satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office.
Four rockets will launch from China this week, with two Chang Zheng family rockets carrying unknown payloads. Private Chinese spaceflight company Galactic Energy is set to debut its new Ceres 2 rocket, while also launching a payload on its workhorse Ceres 1S rocket.
German spaceflight company Isar Aerospace is set to launch the second test flight of its Spectrum rocket from Norway at the end of the week, after its first test flight in March 2025 failed shortly after liftoff.
Follow NSF’s Next Spaceflight for updates and schedule changes.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 6-97
The first Starlink mission of the week, Starlink Group 6-97, lifted off at 4:08 PM EST (21:08 UTC) on Monday, Jan. 12, from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida. Falcon 9 flew the batch of 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites on a southeastern trajectory out of the Cape into the constellation’s Group 6 shell.
Falcon booster B1078 supported this mission, flying for the 25th time. After stage separation, the booster reentered Earth’s atmosphere and landed atop SpaceX’s automated droneship Just Read the Instructions downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.
Falcon 9 is a 69.8 m tall, 3.7 m diameter two-stage, partially-reusable rocket developed by SpaceX. The first stage, powered by nine Merlin 1D engines and using liquid kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants, is capable of landing on one of SpaceX’s three droneships for reuse. The second stage, which is not reusable, features a vacuum-optimized Merlin 1D Vacuum engine and RP-1 and LOX propellants.
Chang Zheng 8A | Unknown Payload
The Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) will launch its Chang Zheng 8A (CZ-8A) rocket on Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 15:45 UTC from Commercial Launch Complex 1 (LC-1) at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China. The payload being launched is unknown, with CZ-8A flying to the southeast out of Wenchang.
Chang Zheng 8A lifts off on its maiden launch from Wenchang. (Credit: SpaceLens)
The CZ-8A is a 3.35 m-diameter, 50.54 m-tall rocket that was first launched in February. The rocket can deliver 9,800 kg to LEO using two stages, with the option to add liquid-fuelled boosters to the first stage. Each booster uses one YF-100 engine, while the first stage uses two. The second stage utilizes two YF-75 engines, burning LH2 and LOX. The boosters and first stage burn RP-1 and LOX.
This mission will mark the first CZ-8A mission of 2026 and the seventh overall.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 6-98
Falcon 9 will launch the Starlink Group 6-98 mission on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 1:01 PM EST (18:01 UTC) from SLC-40 at the CCSFS in Florida. Like Starlink Group 6-97, a batch of 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites will be flown into the Group 6 shell on a southeastern trajectory.
Falcon booster B1085 will be flying its 13th mission with Starlink Group 6-98. After liftoff and stage separation, the booster will land atop SpaceX’s A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Chang Zheng 3B/E | Unknown Payload
A Chang Zheng 3B/E (CZ-3B/E) rocket, developed and launched by CASC, will liftoff from Launch Complex 3 (LC-3) at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 16:00 UTC on Thursday, Jan. 15. The payload being flown is unknown. The CZ-3B/E will fly due east out of Xichang.
The CZ-3B/E first flew in 2007 and has become one of China’s workhorse rockets. Comprised of three stages, the vehicle has a liftoff thrust of 5,986 kN and uses toxic but highly storable hypergolic propellants. The CZ-3B/E stands 56.3 m tall.
This mission will mark the 103rd launch of a CZ-3B/E and the first of 2026.
Orbital launches from China will continue on Thursday, Jan. 15, with a Galactic Energy Ceres 1S rocket scheduled to launch an unknown payload at 19:30 UTC. Liftoff is scheduled to occur from the Oriental Spaceport Launch Ship at the Haiyang Oriental Spaceport in China. Ceres 1S will fly to the southeast out of Haiyang.
Galactic Energy’s Ceres 1S launches from a sea platform at Haiyang Spaceport (Credit: Galactic Energy)
The Ceres 1S is a four-stage, solid- and liquid-propelled rocket that stands 20 m tall and 1.4 m in diameter. First launched in November 2020, the first three stages of the Ceres 1S are all solid rocket motors, with the fourth and final stage utilizing liquid hydrazine propellants. The Ceres 1S is capable of lifting approximately 400 kg to low-Earth orbit (LEO).
This mission will serve as the first Ceres 1S mission of 2026 and the 23rd overall.
Galactic Energy is scheduled to launch the demonstration flight of its upcoming Ceres 2 rocket on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 04:05 UTC from Site 95A at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. Ceres 2 will fly on a southern trajectory. The payloads being flown, if any, are unknown.
A larger, upgraded version of the Ceres 1 and Ceres 1S, the Ceres 2 will be capable of lifting approximately 2,000 kg to LEO and 1,300 kg to a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). Many details about Ceres 2 remain unknown or unshared, such as its staging configuration, engines used, etc.
This mission will mark the first Ceres 2 mission and the first of 2026.
SpaceX will launch a batch of satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) on the NROL-105 mission on Friday, Jan. 16, at 8:18 PM PST (04:18 UTC on Saturday, Jan. 17). Falcon 9 will liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, flying on a southeasterly trajectory into LEO.
Brand new Falcon booster B1100 will support this mission, flying for the second time. Following stage separation, B1100 will perform a return-to-launch-site landing and land atop Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at Vandenberg, located directly adjacent to SLC-4E.
This mission represents the 12th batch of satellites launched into an NRO constellation developed by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman. The satellites will provide detailed imaging services and other reconnaissance capabilities.
This mission will mark Falcon 9’s seventh flight of 2026.
Germany-based Isar Aerospace is scheduled to launch the second test flight of its Spectrum rocket no earlier than Saturday, Jan. 17, from the Orbital Launch Pad at the Andøya Rocket Range in Nordland, Norway. Spectrum is expected to carry several cubesats to SSO for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Boost! program.
Spectrum’s first launch, named “Going Full Spectrum,” occurred in March 2025, but failed shortly after liftoff due to an engine issue. Spectrum stands 28 m tall and two meters in diameter with two stages. The first stage features nine Aquila engines while the second stage features a single Aquila engine. Using propane and LOX as propellants, Spectrum can lift approximately 1,000 kg to LEO and 700 kg to SSO.
This mission will mark Spectrum’s first flight of 2026 and its second flight overall. Furthermore, this flight will represent the 13th worldwide orbital launch attempt of 2026.
(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches from Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
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