Nasaspaceflight

Just about two months after the first Block 3 Starship flight with Booster 19 and Ship 39, SpaceX is set to launch Flight 13 with Booster 20 and Ship 40, as soon as Thursday, July 16, at 5:45 pm CDT. While this flight is more or less a repeat of Flight 12, there are differences as SpaceX attempts to push the Starship program towards orbit.

The International Space Station’s (ISS) crew grew by three members with the arrival of the Soyuz MS-29 mission on July 14. Earlier, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams wrapped wrapped up critical repairs to Canadarm2 during a spacewalk. Meanwhile, the agency is accelerating plans for commercial successors to the station.

Five orbital launches are scheduled worldwide for this week. In China, a Chang Zheng 6A and Chang Zheng 7A are set to launch two unknown payloads into orbit. Meanwhile, SpaceX has three Falcon 9 launches on the manifest from Florida and California, with two Starlink missions and a classified mission for the National Reconnaissance Office.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.

While Ship 40 is preparing to be transported back to Starbase from Christmas Island, Ship 41 has completed both of its static fires and will soon roll back to Mega Bay 2 for final flight preps. Booster 21, however, is still in Mega Bay 1 undergoing preflight work.

This week will see five orbital launches from China, the United States, and French Guiana. SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is expected to return to deliver NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to Lagrange Point 2, with an additional two Falcon 9 Starlink missions expected. Internationally, China’s Chang Zheng 6C is expected to launch an unknown payload, and Ariane 62 will launch the MTG-I2 payload from French Guiana.

Following the departure of the Soyuz MS-28 crewed spacecraft from the International Space Station on July 26, Expedition 75 officially commenced onboard the orbiting laboratory. One of the first tasks for the Expedition 75 crew was three spacewalks, which were successfully completed over a three-week period. Furthermore, the crew has stayed busy with numerous science experiments and technology demonstrations.

Five orbital launches are expected this week. Two Falcon 9s are expected to launch from Florida and California, delivering three O3b mPOWER satellites and the USSF-153 payload, respectively. Internationally, a Soyuz 2.1b will deliver the Progress MS-35 spacecraft to the International Space Station, while a Chinese Chang Zheng 2D/YZ-3 and Chang Zheng 8A are expected to deliver unspecified payloads.

The European space sector is enjoying a run of advances in September, highlighted by Isar Aerospace reaching orbit on its second Spectrum flight, the United Kingdom publishing a new space strategy, and PLD Space unveiling a larger reusable launcher. The Exploration Company also closed a record funding round and won an ESA cargo contract, and Ariane 6, Firefly, and Vast each picked up new European business.

Nine orbital launches are scheduled worldwide this week. Two Falcon 9s are expected to deliver payloads from California, while a Vega C will launch Sentinel-3C & FLEX from French Guiana. Five launches from China are also on the manifest, including a Gravity 1 from Orienspace, and a Soyuz 2.1b will deliver the Progress MS-35 cargo vehicle to the International Space Station (ISS).