Jonathan's Space Report
No. 840 draft 2024 Nov 18 Somerville, MA
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International Space Station
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Expedition 72 continues with Suni Williams (ISS commander), Barry Wilmore, Aleksey Ovchinin, Ivan Vagner,
Don Pettit, Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Progress MS-27 undocked from the Poisk module at 1253 UTC Nov 19 and reentered over the S Pacific at about
1651 UTC the same day.
Progress MS-29 was launched on Nov 21 and docked with the Poisk module at 1431 UTC Nov 23.
Dragon CRS-31 undocked from IDA-2/PMA-2 at 1605 UTC Dec 16.
On Dec 9, five cubesats were deployed from the Kibo airlock using the J-SSOD No. 30 deployer.
Dragon Crew-9 (Freedom) is docked at IDA-3/PMA-3
Cygnus NG-21 (S.S. F.R. Scobee) is berthed at Unity nadir
Soyuz MS-26 is docked at Rassvet
Progress MS-28 is docked at Zvezda
Progress MS-29 is docked at Poisk
Starlink launches
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Starlink Group 6-66 (24 sats) was launched from Canaveral on Nov 21 to a 43 deg orbit.
Starlink Group 9-13 (20 sats) was launched from Vandenberg on Nov 24 to a 53 deg orbit.
Starlink Group 12-1 (23 sats) was launched from Canaveral on Nov 25 to a 43 deg orbit.
Starlink Group 6-76 (24 sats) was launched from Kennedy on Nov 27 to a 43 deg orbit.
Starlink Group 6-65 (24 sats) was launched from Canaveral on Nov 30 to a 43 deg orbit.
Starlink Group 6-70 (24 sats) was launched from Canaveral on Dec 4 to a 43 deg orbit.
Starlink Group 9-14 (20 sats) was launched from Vandenberg on Dec 5 to a 53 deg orbit.
Starlink Group 12-5 (23 sats) was launched from Canaveral on Dec 8 to a 43 deg orbit.
Starlink Group 11-2 (22 sats) was launched from Vandenberg on Dec 13 to a 53 deg orbit.
An unnamed Starlink group (20 sats) was launched from Vandenberg on Nov 30 to a 70 deg orbit
on the NROL-126 launch along with two NRO Starshield satellites (Starshield launch 5).
Starshield launch 6 (probably 20 sats) was launched from Vandenberg on Dec 17.
Falcon 9 GTO and MEO launches
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New Space India Ltd.'s Ka-band GSAT-20 comms satellite was launched by Falcon 9 from Canaveral on Nov 18.
Sirius XM's SXM-9 satellite was launched by Falcon 9 from Kennedy on Dec 5 to a subsync transfer orbit.
On Dec 17 SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying the GPS III SV-07 payload in a
secret RRT-1 (Rapid Response Trailblazer) mission.
On Dec 17 SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying two O3b MPOWER communications sats to medium Earth orbit.
CALT launches
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CALT launched a CZ-2C from Taiyuan on Nov 24 with two Siwei Gaojing commercial radar satellites for Superview.
CALT launched a CZ-3B from Xichang on Dec 3 with the Tongxin Jishu Shiyan Weixing 13 to a 51 deg elliptical
orbit similar to the insertion orbit used by the Shiyan 10 sats, which later maneuvered to a Molniya orbit.
CALT launched a CZ-5B/YZ-2 from Wenchang on Dec 16 with the first 10 satellites of its LEO internet constellation.
SAST launches
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On Nov 30 SAST launched the first Chang Zheng 12 (CZ-12) from a pad at the new Hainan Commercial Launch Site,
close to Wenchang Space Centre. The rocket carried two satellite internet test satellites.
On Dec 5 SAST launched a CZ-6A from Taiyuan with the third batch of Qianfan internet satellites.
On Dec 12 SAST launched a CZ-2D/YZ-3 from Jiuquan with five `High Speed Laser Diamond Constellation
Test System' (Gaosu jiguang zuanzhi xingzuo shiyan xitong) satellites. The YZ-3 made a series of
burns to deliver the payloads to three different orbits.
On Dec 16 SAST launched a CZ-2D from Jiuquan with five more PIESAT radar satellites.
Kineis
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Rocket Lab launched an Electron from Mahia on Nov 24 with five more IoT satellites for Kineis.
Starship
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Starship flight 6 was launched on Nov 19. The booster was waved off from
a recovery attempt (due to a tower issue) and made a divert burn to a
water splashdown. The ship reached an estimated 8 x 190 km x 26.2 deg
orbit, the first time Starship has had positive perigee. A Raptor
in-flight restart during descent raised the orbit to about 50 x 228 km,
followed by entry over the Indian Ocean and splashdown on the ocean
surface.
Zhuque-2E
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On Nov 27 Landspace launched the first Zhuque-2E, an uprated version of the methalox Zhuque-2.
The rocket carried two Guangchuan test satellites for laser intersat comms.
Kondor
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Russia launched the 1050 kg Kondor-FKA No. 2 radar satellite from Vostochniy on Nov 29.
KZ-1A
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On Dec 4 EXPACE/CASIC launched an enhanced version of the Kuaizhou-1A rocket, with larger diameter
third stage and restartable fourth stage. The rocket placed the Haishao-1 radar
sat in orbit.
Lotos
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Russia launched a Lotos-S electronic intelligence satellite on Dec 4; it was codenamed Kosmos-2580.
The satellite circularized its orbit with a burn at 1415 UTC Dec 6.
Proba-3
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India's ISRO launched PSLV-C59 on Dec 5 placing ESA's Proba-3 mission in an elliptical orbit. Proba-3 is
a solar coronagraph observatory with separately formation-flying detector and occulter satellites.
Sentinel-1C
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The Sentinel-1C radar satellite for the EU's Copernicus program was launched on a Vega-C from the Centre
Spatial Guyanais on Dec 5.
Simorgh
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Iran launched a Simorgh on Dec 6, placing the Saman-1 `space tug' in orbit. Saman-1 is a restartable
upper stage comparable in concept to stages like the Briz-M. One or possibly two cubesats
were also deployed.
Kairos
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The second launch of the commercial Japanese small solid-propellant launch vehicle KAIROS
failed on Dec 18. The vehicle appeared to lose attitude control at the end of the first stage burn.
The payloads, the Tatara-1 satellite and three cubesats, were lost.
Lucy
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The Lucy probe re-entered the Earth's gravitational sphere on Dec 11 at 1343 UTC, flew
351 km from Earth at 0414 UTC Dec 13, and returned to solar orbit at 1851 UTC Dec 14.
The encounter boosted Lucy's aphelion from 2.2 AU to 5.7 AU.
Table of Recent Orbital (and near-Orbital) Launches
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Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL. Catalog Perigee Apogee Incl Notes
Oct 4 1125 Cert-2 Vulcan VC2S Canaveral SLC41 Test 179A 735 x -237885 x 26.7
Oct 7 1452 Hera Falcon 9 Canaveral SLC40 Probe 180A 190 x -36368 x 34.2
Oct 8 1025 CySat-1 ISS, LEO Tech 98067WZ 408 x 421 x 51.6
Oct 8 1035 DORA ISS, LEO Tech 98067XA 410 x 420 x 51.6
Oct 10 1350 HGW 03 Chang Zheng 3B Xichang Comms 181A 198 x 35774 x 28.4
Oct 13 1225 Starship 30 Starship Starbase OLP1 Test U04 -15 x 213 x 26.2
Oct 14 1606 Europa Clipper Falcon Heavy Kennedy LC39A Probe 182A 180 x -32078 x 32.9
Oct 15 0610 Starlink Group 10-10 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 183 280 x 291 x 53.2
Oct 15 0821 Starlink Group 9-7 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 184 277 x 287 x 53.2
Oct 15 1106 Qianfan Jigui 02 (01 to 18) Chang Zheng 6A Taiyuan Comms 185
Oct 15 2345 Gao Fen 12-05 Chang Zheng 4C Jiuquan Radar 186A 594 x 600 x 97.9
Oct 18 2331 Starlink Group 8-19 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 187 280 x 291 x 53.2
Oct 20 0513 OneWeb L20 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 188 591 x 595 x 86.5
Oct 22 0010 Tianping-3A(01) Chang Zheng 6 Taiyuan Calib 189A 555 x 566 x 97.6
Tianping-3B(01) Calib 189B
Tianping-3B(02) Calib 189C
Oct 23 0109 Yaogan 43-03-01 Chang Zheng 2C Xichang Comms? 190A 490 x 502 x 35.0
Yaogan 43-03-02 Comms? 190B
Yaogan 43-03-03 Comms? 190C
Oct 23 2147 Starlink Group 6-61 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 191 284 x 291 x 43.0
Oct 24 1713 Starshield Group 1-4 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Imaging? 192 300 x 310 x 70.0
Oct 26 2147 Starlink Group 10-8 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 193 290 x 301 x 53.2
Oct 29 2027 Shenzhou 19 Chang Zheng 2F Jiuquan Spaceship 194A 382 x 392 x 41.5
Oct 30 1207 Starlink Group 9-9 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 195 285 x 295 x 53.2
Oct 30 2110 Starlink Group 10-13 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 196 269 x 278 x 53.2
Oct 30 2211 Hwasong-19 RV Hwasong-19 Chongdong Test U05 -6243 x 7687 x 42
Oct 31 0751 Kosmos-2579 Soyuz-2-1a Plesetsk LC43/4 Imaging 197A 338 x 498 x 97.6
Nov 4 0648 Kirameki 3 H3-22S Tanegashima Comms 198A 396 x 35415 x 24.8
Nov 4 2318 Ionosfera-M No. 1 Soyuz-2-1b/Fregat Vostochniy PU1S Sci 199A 831 x 846 x 98.8
Ionosfera-M No. 2 Sci 199B 827 x 850 x 98.8
Rideshare sats Various 199 594 x 615 x 97.4
Rideshare sats Various 199 492 x 530 x 97.4
Nov 5 0229 Dragon CRS-31 Falcon 9 Kennedy LC39A Cargo 200A 193 x 210 x 51.6
Nov 5 1054 E-Space 4? Electron Mahia LC1B Comms 201B 640 x 652 x 97.9
Nov 7 2019 Starlink Group 6-77 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 202 282 x 290 x 43.0
Nov 9 0339 PIESAT 2-1 Chang Zheng 2C Jiuquan Radar? 203A 516 x 537 x 97.5
PIESAT 2-2 Radar? 203B
PIESAT 2-3 Radar? 203C
PIESAT 2-4 Radar? 203D
Nov 9 0644 Starlink Group 9-10 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 204 284 x 295 x 53.2
Nov 11 0403 Shiyan 26A Lijian-1 Jiuquan Imaging? 205A 513 x 532 x 97.5
Shiyan 26B Imaging? 205B
Shiyan 26C Imaging? 205B
Jilin-1 GF05B Imaging 205
Jilin-1 PT02A03 Imaging 205
Yunyao-1 31 to 36 GNSS-RO 205
Xiguang-1-04 Imaging 205
Xiguang-1-05 Imaging 205
Tianyan-24 Imaging? 205
Oman Zhineng Yaogan 1 Imaging 205
Nov 11 1722 Koreasat-6A Falcon 9 Kennedy LC39A Comms 206A 388 x 35333 x 26.2
Nov 11 2128 Starlink Group 6-69 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 207 281 x 289 x 43.0
Nov 13 2242 Hai Yang 4-01 Chang Zheng 4B Taiyuan EO Sci 208A 632 x 645 x 98.0
Nov 14 0523 Starlink Group 9-11 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 209 282 x 292 x 53.2
Nov 14 1321 Starlink Group 6-68 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 210 277 x 284 x 43.0
Nov 15 1513 Tianzhou 8 Chang Zheng 7 Wenchang Cargo 211A 201 x 334 x 41.5
Nov 17 2228 Optus X (TD7) Falcon 9 Kennedy SLC39A Comms 212A 425 x 49656 x 17.8
Nov 18 0553 Starlink Group 9-12 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 213 280 x 289 x 53.2
Nov 18 1831 GSAT-20 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 214A 214 x 59510 x 27.7
Nov 19 2200 Starship 31 Starship 1.0 Starbase OLP1 Test U06 50 x 228 x 26.3
Nov 21 1222 Progress MS-29 Soyuz-2-1a Baykonur LC31 Cargo 215A 171 x 195 x 51.6
Nov 21 1607 Starlink Group 6-66 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 216 286 x 293 x 43.0
Nov 23 0525 Starlink Group 9-13 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 217 280 x 290 x 53.2
Nov 24 2339 Siwei Gaojing 2-03 Chang Zheng 2C Taiyuan Radar 218A 494 x 519 x 97.4
Siwei Gaojing 2-04 Radar 218B
Nov 25 0335 Kineis 3A-3E Electron Mahia 1B Comms 219 637 x 638 x 98.0
Nov 25 1002 Starlink Group 12-1 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 220 320 x 331 x 43.0
Nov 27 0200 Guangchuan-01 Zhuque-2E Jiuquan Comms 221A 304 x 499 x 50.0
Guangchuan-02 Comms 221B 304 x 499 x 50.0
Nov 27 0441 Starlink Group 6-76 Falcon 9 Kennedy LC39A Comms 222 284 x 291 x 43.0
Nov 29 2150 Kondor-FKA No. 2 Soyuz-2-1a/Fregat Vostochniy PU1S Radar 223 508 x 512 x 97.4
Nov 30 0500 Starlink Group 6-65 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 224 282 x 290 x 43.0
Nov 30 0810 Starlink Group N-01 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 225 302 x 317 x 70.0
USA 438 to 440? Imaging? 225
Nov 30 1425 WHJSW-5? Chang Zheng 12 Hainan CSLS Comms 226A 994 x 1078 x 50.0
JSW-03 Comms 226B
Dec 3 0556 TJS 13 Chang Zheng 3B Xichang LC3 Comms? 227A 172 x 40116 x 51.0
Dec 4 0446 Haishao-1 Kuaizhou-1A (E) Xichang Radar 228A 355 x 511 x 43.0
Dec 4 1013 Starlink Group 6-70 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 229 277 x 284 x 43.0
Dec 4 1759 Kosmos-2580 Soyuz-2-1b Plesetsk Sigint 230A 239 x 899 x 67.1
Dec 5 0305 Starlink Group 9-14 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 231 273 x 284 x 53.2
Dec 5 0441 Qianfan Jigui 03 (01 to 18) Chang Zheng 6A Taiyuan Comms 232 791 x 813 x 89.0
Dec 5 1034 Proba-3 CSC/OSC PSLV-XL Satish Dhawan Tech 233A 573 x 60562 x 59.2
Dec 5 1610 SXM-9 Falcon 9 Kennedy LC39A Comms 234A 224 x 23641 x 26.6
Dec 5 2120 Sentinel-1C Vega-C CSG ELV Radar 235A 696 x 697 x 98.2
Dec 6 0314? Saman-1 Simorgh Khomeini Tech 236 302 x 401 x 58.6
Fakhr-1 Comms 236 302 x 401 x 58.6
Unknown payload? Tech 236 302 x 401 x 58.6
Dec 8 0512 Starlink Group 12-5 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 237 285 x 293 x 43.0
Dec 9 0815? Yodaka ISS, LEO Comms 98067 404 x 419 x 51.6
Dec 9 1115? Lignosat ISS, LEO Tech 98067 404 x 419 x 51.6
Yomogi Imaging 98067 404 x 419 x 51.6
DENDEN-01 Tech 98067 404 x 419 x 51.6
Dec 9 1417? Onglaisat ISS, LEO Imaging 98067 404 x 419 x 51.6
Dec 12 0717 Gaosu Jiguan Zuanzhi 1 Chang Zheng 2D/YZ3 Jiuquan Comms 238A 1143 x 1161 x 59.9
Gaosu Jiguan Zuanzhi 2 Comms 238B 791 x 812 x 59.9
Gaosu Jiguan Zuanzhi 3 Comms 238B 975 x 990 x 59.9
Gaosu Jiguan Zuanzhi 4 Comms 238B 973 x 989 x 59.9
Gaosu Jiguan Zuanzhi 5 Comms 238B 977 x 990 x 59.9
Dec 13 2155 Starlink Group 11-2 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 239 270 x 280 x 53.2
Dec 16 1000 WHWD Group 01 Chang Zheng 5B/YZ2 Wenchang Comms 240 1097 x 1110 x 86.5
Dec 16 1850 PIESAT-2 09 Chang Zheng 2D Jiuquan Radar 241 519 x 534 x 97.5
PIESAT-2 10 Radar 241
PIESAT-2 11 Radar 241
PIESAT-2 12 Radar 241
Dec 17 0052 GPS III SV07 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Nav 242A 403 x 20189 x 55.0
Dec 17 1317 USA 441 to 460 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Imaging? 243 310? x 310? x 70
Dec 17 2226 O3b MPOWER 7 Falcon 9 Kennedy LC39A Comms 244 2674 x 7002 x 8.8
O3b MPOWER 8 Comms 244
Dec 18 0200 Tarara 1 Kairos Kii Tech F04 -6378 x 40? x 97
Ishiki Tech F04
SC-Sat-1 Tech F04
PARUS-T1A Tech F04
Unknown cubesat Tech F04
Dec 19 1018 Tianqi-33 Gushenxing-1S DFHT, HuangHai LP6 Comms 245A 863 x 852 x 45.0
Tianqi-34 Comms 245B
Tianqi-35 Comms 245C
Tianqi-36 Comms 245D
Table of Recent Suborbital Launches
-----------------------------------
At about 0300 UTC Nov 21, Russia launched an Orezhnik intermediate
range ballistic missile (IRBM) from Kapustin Yar against the Ukrainian city of Dnipro,
with MIRV reentry vehicles carrying either conventional or possibly dummy warheads.
The US DoD reports that the missile is a derivative of the 15Zh67 Rubezh,
but is not an ICBM as was claimed by Ukraine.
New Shepard flight NS-28, on Nov 22, carried Austin Litteral (space
traveler 711), Marc Hagle (614), Sharon Hagle (613), Hank Wolfond (712),
J.D. Russell (713), and Emily Calandrelli (714) to a 107.0 km apogee.
Calandrelli became the 100th woman to reach space.
Date UT Payload Rocket Site Mission Apogee Target
Oct 1 1309 SL-15 SpaceLoft XL Spaceport America Micrograv 100? White Sands?
Oct 1 1630? Warhead Shahab-3? (x180) S Shiraz Weapon 200? Israel
Emad?
Ghadr-110?
Kheibar Shekan?
Fattah-1?
Oct 20 1824 Aftershock II Aftershock Black Rock Test 143 Black Rock
Oct 23 1525? NS-27 New Shepard West Texas Test 101? West Texas
Oct 24 2310 Target? Terrier Oriole? Wallops Target? 100? Atlantic
Nov 6 0701 GT251 RV Minuteman 3 Vandenberg LF10 Op.Test 1300? Kwajalein
Nov 8 SL-20 SpaceLoft XL Spaceport America Tech 100? White Sands?
Nov 8 Warhead Palestine-2 Sanaa? Weapon 200? Israel
Nov 10 2136 VORTEX 2A Black Brant 9 Andoya Atmosphere 358 Norw. Sea
Nov 10 2138 VORTEX 2B Terrier Imp.Orion Andoya Atmosphere 144 Norw. Sea
Nov 11 Warhead Palestine-2 Sanaa? Weapon 200? Israel
Nov 11 0838 MAPHEUS 15 Red Kite/IM ESRANGE Microgravity 309 ESRANGE
Nov 14 0230 S-520-34 S-520 Uchinoura Tech 217 Pacific Ocean
Nov 15 RV LRAShM Kalam I. Hypersonic 100? Bay of Bengal
Nov 21 0300? Warheads (6?) Oreshnik Kapustin Yar Weapon 500? Dnipro
Nov 22 1530 NS-28 New Shepard West Texas Tourist 107 West Texas
Nov 23 1158 B-SPICE Black Brant IX White Sands Tech 200? White Sands
Nov 24 0600 HIPPO HASTE Wallops I. Hypersonic 300? Atlantic
Nov 26 0500 MASER 16 VSB-30 ESRANGE Microgravity 256 ESRANGE
Nov 27 K-4 RV K-4 INS Arighaat, B.Bengal Test 500? S Indian Ocean
Nov 29 1619 VS-30 V15 VS-30 CLBI Test 130? Atlantic
Dec 5 0605 Test Duqm-1 Etlaq, Oman Test 140? Arabian Sea?
Dec 10 RV MRBM Target C-19, Wake I. Target 300? Pacific
Dec 10 Aegis KV FEM-02 SM-3-IIA Guam Interceptor 100? Intercept MRBM
Dec 12 1630 LRHW CHGB Canaveral LC46 Test 150? Atlantic
Dec 14 0100 STONEHENGE HASTE Wallops I. Hypersonic 300? Atlantic
.-------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Jonathan McDowell | |
| Somerville MA 02143 | inter : planet4589 at gmail |
| USA | twitter: @planet4589 |
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