Launch & Space Events

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.

Contracted by NASA under the Small Business Innovation Research Phase 3 contract, Katalyst Space Technologies' LINK servicing spacecraft will rendezvous and attach to NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to re-boost its orbit. This aims to demonstrate a key capability for the future of space exploration and extending the Swift mission’s science lifetime in gamma ray astronomy.

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.

SXM-11 is the 12th high-powered, digital, audio radio satellite built by Lanteris Space (ex-Maxar, Space System/Loral) for SiriusXM. The SXM-11 satellite will be based on the proven IM-1300 (ex-LS-1300)-class platform and built at the company’s manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California. SXM-11 has a large, mesh, unfurlable reflector almost 10 meters in diameter that allows SiriusXM programming to reach its radios, including those in moving vehicles.

Note: Launch vehicle name is provisional. First orbital full version launch of the South Korean military small satellite launch vehicle, after 2 sub-orbital tests of individual stages on 30 March and 30 December 2022, and 1 orbital test flight without the 2nd stage on 4 December 2023. Details TBD.

Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.

Synthetic aperture radar Earth observation satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS.

Details TBD.

First low-altitude hop test of a Themis demonstrator, with a targeted altitude up to 100 m.

First test launch of Deep Blue Aerospace’s Nebula-1 rocket. The test flight profile is reported to be sub-orbital.

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.

Note: Mission profile and payload details are TBD. Demonstration mission for SpaceX’s Project Starfall, which aims to mass-produce reentry capsules designed to autonomously transport valuable customer experiments and other payloads safely back from space to Earth, including for in-orbit manufacturing. Starfall is a cylindrical shaped capsule approximately 0.75 meters tall with a diameter of 3.1 meters, weighing approximately 2100 kilograms, and capable of carrying 1000 kilograms of payload. It is designed to be carried on Starship flights.

Chinese classified satellite claimed to be for communication technology test purposes. Actual mission not known.

A batch of 24 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.

VICTUS HAZE will see Rocket Lab design, build, launch, and operate a rendezvous proximity operation (RPO) capable spacecraft. U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC)’s Space Safari’s VICTUS HAZE mission will be an exercise of a realistic threat-response scenario and on-orbit space domain awareness (SDA) demonstration. Once the spacecraft build is complete, Rocket Lab will be entered into a Hot Standby Phase awaiting further direction. Once the exercise begins, Rocket Lab will be given notice to launch the spacecraft into a target orbit. After reaching orbit, the spacecraft will be rapidly commissioned and readied for operations. Rocket Lab will configure a Pioneer class spacecraft bus to meet the unique requirements of the VICTUS HAZE mission. The mission will improve Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) processes and timelines, demonstrating the ability to respond to on-orbit threats on very short timelines and validating techniques for space domain awareness (SDA) and on-orbit characterization. Rocket Lab’s constellation-class production capability and discriminating technical capabilities in the areas of in-space propulsion, precision attitude control, low latency communications, and autonomous operations are key enablers for this mission.

Fourteenth batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office to provide imaging and other reconnaissance capabilities.

Amazon Leo, formerly known as Project Kuiper, is a mega constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit that will offer broadband internet access, this constellation will be managed by Kuiper Systems LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon. This constellation is planned to be composed of 3,276 satellites. The satellites are projected to be placed in 98 orbital planes in three orbital layers, one at 590 km, 610 km and 630 km altitude. 36 satellites will be carried on this Ariane 6 launch.

AST SpaceMobile’s Block 2 BlueBird satellites are designed to deliver up to 10 times the bandwidth capacity of the BlueBird Block 1 satellites, required to achieve 24/7 continuous cellular broadband service coverage in the United States, with beams designed to support a capacity of up to 40 MHz, enabling peak data transmission speeds up to 120 Mbps, supporting voice, full data and video applications. The Block 2 BlueBirds, featuring as large as 2400 square foot communications arrays, will be the largest satellites ever commercially deployed in Low Earth orbit once launched. This launch will feature 3 satellites.

Note: Unofficial reports indicate there may be 1 or more additional satellites that failed to separate from the upper stage, however this is not officially confirmed. Chinese commercial small satellites by Beijing-based company Future Navigation for providing GNSS augmentation signals services from LEO. They are part of a planned 160 satellites constellation.

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group. The constellation will eventually consists of 13000 satellites.