Another busy launch manifest is scheduled for this week, with nine launches expected from various providers and launch sites around the world. As usual, SpaceX is expected to dominate the week with five missions, all of which are Starlink missions.
Internationally, Rocket Lab is set to launch an Earth observation satellite on Electron from New Zealand, while Isar Aerospace looks to reach orbit with the second test flight of its Spectrum rocket from Norway. A Chinese rocket also launched a rideshare mission with eight payloads early on Monday.
Kuaizhou 11 | Multiple Payloads
The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) launched the first mission of the week atop its Kuaizhou 11 rocket from Site 95A at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. Carrying a rideshare payload of eight satellites to a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), the Kuaizhou 11 lifted off at 04:12 UTC on Monday, March 16.
Flying since 2020, the Kuaizhou 11 is a four-stage, 25.3 m-tall rocket capable of lifting 1,500 kg to low-Earth orbit (LEO). This mission marked the rocket’s first mission of 2026 and fifth overall.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 17-24
The first Starlink mission of the week, Starlink Group 17-24, is set to launch on Monday, March 16, at 8:39 PM PDT (03:39 UTC on March 17). Falcon 9, carrying 25 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to a SSO on a southern trajectory, will liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Falcon booster B1088 will support the mission, flying to space for the 14th time. Following stage separation, the booster will reenter Earth’s atmosphere and land atop SpaceX’s west coast droneship, Of Course I Still Love You, which will be stationed downrange in the Pacific. B1088 previously supported the NROL-126, Transporter 12, SPHEREx & PUNCH, NROL-57, and nine Starlink missions.
SpaceX’s workhorse rocket, Falcon 9 is a two-stage partially reusable launch vehicle capable of lofting 22,000 kg to LEO and 8,300 kg to geostationary transfer orbit. Standing 70 m tall and 3.7 m in diameter, Falcon 9’s reusable first stage features nine Merlin engines, while the second stage features a single vacuum-optimized Merlin engine.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-46
Falcon 9 is set to launch the Starlink Group 10-46 mission on Tuesday, March 17, at 6:26 AM EDT (10:26 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida. Lofting 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to the constellation’s Group 10 shell in LEO, Falcon 9 will fly on a northeastern trajectory out of the Cape.
The booster supporting this mission, B1090, will be flying on its 11th mission and land atop the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship in the Atlantic following stage separation. B1090 has previously supported the O3b mPOWER 7 & 8, Crew-10, Bandwagon-3, O3b mPOWER 9 & 10, CRS-33, and five Starlink missions.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-33
The next Starlink mission, Starlink Group 10-33, will launch on Thursday, March 19, at 6:35 AM EDT (10:35 UTC) from SLC-40 at the CCSFS. Launching to the Group 10 shell again, Falcon 9, along with the payload of 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites, will follow a northeastern trajectory out of the Cape.
Booster B1077 will be supporting this mission, flying for the 27th time. One of the oldest boosters in the Falcon booster fleet, B1077 has previously launched the Crew-5, GPS III SV06, Inmarsat I-6 F2, CRS-28, Galaxy 37, CRS NG-20, Optus-X, and 19 Starlink missions. B1090 will land atop the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic.
Rocket Lab is set to launch a Synspective StriX satellite on its Electron rocket on Thursday, March 19, at 17:45 UTC. Electron will launch from one of Rocket Lab’s two pads at its launch facility on the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand, flying on a southeastern trajectory to place the StriX satellite in LEO.
The 100 kg StriX-6 satellite is an Earth observation satellite developed by Synspective. The second in a series of 10 StriX satellites contracted to be launched by Rocket Lab, StriX-6 features a ground resolution of one to three meters and a 10-30 km swath width.
Electron is a three-stage, 18 m-tall small satellite launch vehicle that has been flying since 2018. The first stage features nine Rutherford engines, while the second stage utilizes a single, vacuum-optimized Rutherford engine; both stages use liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants. The optional Curie third stage uses monopropellant to power its engine.
This mission will mark Electron’s fifth mission of 2026 and 84th overall.
Seven launches complete for @synspective, another 20 to go for the Japanese Earth-observation company. Our next dedicated Electron launch for their EO constellation is scheduled this week.
Electron has been the sole launcher for Synspective to date, building out their EO… pic.twitter.com/WRxOBLMGua
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) March 16, 2026
German spaceflight company Isar Aerospace is expected to launch its Spectrum rocket on its second mission on Thursday, March 19, at 08:00 UTC. Spectrum will liftoff from the Orbital Launch Pad at the Andøya Rocket Range in Norland, Norway, on a northwestern trajectory.
Onboard Spectrum will be six payloads from the European Space Agency’s Boost! program. These payloads include: CyBEEsat from Technical University Berlin, TriSat-S from the University of Maribor, Platform-6 from EnduroSat, FramSat-1 from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology; SpaceTeamSat1 from Technical University Wien, and Let It Go from Dcubed.
This mission will mark the second launch for Spectrum, which first launched on the failed Going Full Spectrum mission in March 2025. Shortly after liftoff, the first stage engines suffered an anomaly, resulting in the rocket losing thrust and falling into the sea adjacent to the launch pad.
Spectrum launching on “Going Full Spectrum” on March 30, 2025. (Credit: Isar Aerospace)
Utilizing propane and liquid oxygen propellants, Spectrum’s first stage uses nine Aquila engines while the second stage uses a single vacuum-optimized Aquila engine. Spectrum is capable of carrying 1,000 kg to LEO and 700 kg to SSO. While currently launching from Andøya, Isar has negotiated to also launch Spectrum from the Guiana Space Center in South America.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 17-15
SpaceX is targeting Friday, March 20, at 2:38 PM PDT (21:38 UTC) for the launch of the Starlink Group 17-15 mission from SLC-4E at Vandenberg. Carrying 25 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to a SSO, Falcon 9 will follow a southern trajectory out of California.
Falcon booster B1091, flying on its 23rd mission, is supporting this mission. Following stage separation, the booster will land atop Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific. B1091 previously launched the Crew-7, CRS-29, PACE, Transporter 10, EarthCARE, NROL-186, Transporter 13, TRACERS & Others, NROL-48, CSG-3, and 12 Starlink missions.
Roscosmos is expected to launch the next cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), Progress MS-33, on Sunday, March 22. The Soyuz 2.1a rocket and Progress spacecraft will launch at 11:59 UTC from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, following a northeastern trajectory to LEO.
Soyuz 2.1a launch vehicle with #ProgressMS33 under its fairing with 2500 kg of cargo on board has been assembled on Baikonur. The launch is scheduled for March 22 at 11:59 UTC. This will be the first launch from Pad 31 after the accident in November 2025. pic.twitter.com/sQG9oiZYLH
— Katya Pavlushchenko (@katlinegrey) March 16, 2026
The 7,280 kg Progress spacecraft will be loaded with food, water, oxygen, experiments, and other essential supplies for the seven-person Expedition 74 crew currently aboard the ISS. This mission will be the 186th flight of a Progress vehicle, having previously supplied the Soviet Salyut 6, Salyut 7, and Mir space stations.
The Soyuz 2.1a rocket is derived from the Soviet R-7 rocket family, which has been flying since the late 1950s. Standing 46.3 m tall and 10.3 m in diameter, the three-stage rocket features four strap-on liquid fuel boosters around a central core stage. Each booster features one RD-107A engine, while the core stage features a single RD-108A engine. The third stage sits above the core stage and uses a single RD-0110 engine. All stages utilize liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants.
This mission will mark the first Soyuz 2.1a launch of 2026 and the 88th overall since the rocket’s debut in 2004. This mission will also be the first from Site 31/6 following the collapse of a maintenance structure at the site following the launch of the Soyuz MS-28 mission in November.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-62
The final launch of the week, Starlink Group 10-62, is set to launch on Sunday, March 22, at 10:34 AM EDT (14:34 UTC) from SLC-40 at the CCSFS. Falcon 9 will carry the 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites on a northeast trajectory to LEO.
Flying for the 27th time on this mission, Falcon booster B1078 will land atop the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship in the Atlantic following stage separation. B1078 has previously supported the Crew-6, O3b mPOWER 3 & 4, USSF-124, BlueBird Block 1, Nusantara Lima, and 21 Starlink missions.
This mission will mark the 37th Falcon 9 mission of 2026, the 620th overall, and the 64th orbital launch attempt worldwide in 2026.
(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches from Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
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