A robotic satellite servicer and Starship’s return headline this week’s launches
Here’s what’s launching July 20–26: Northrop Grumman sends up its robotic satellite mechanic, SpaceX tries again for Starship Flight 13 after a last-second abort, and Falcon 9 keeps its Starlink cadence running.
The two robotic arms of Northrop Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) are shown here at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory during integration onto the spacecraft. Credit: Northrop Grumman, via U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Public Domain
Rocket launches this week
On Tuesday, July 21, SpaceX opens the week with the Starlink Group 17-39 mission, lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 10 a.m. EDT. The Falcon 9 booster is expected to land on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. Watch it here.
Later that afternoon at 5:15 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, July 21, a Falcon 9 will lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying Northrop Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV-1) and three Mission Extension Pods (MEPs). An evolution of the company’s Mission Extension Vehicles (MEVs), the MRV-1 is an on-orbit servicing spacecraft with the ability to inspect, repair, and upgrade satellites in geosynchronous orbit through the use of its robotic arms. It can also team up in orbit with independently launched MEPs — small jetpacks that attach to a satellite low on fuel — to extend the mission of satellites. MRV features a first-of-its kind standardized refueling port to ensure continued servicing of satellites for at least the next decade. Watch it here.
Also on Tuesday, July 21, at 10:50 p.m. EDT, Chinese firm Orienspace is scheduled to launch a Gravity 1 rocket from the Haiyang Oriental Spaceport carrying an undisclosed payload, according to tracking by Next Spaceflight.
On Thursday, July 23, at 8 a.m. EDT, a Long March 3B/E is set to lift off from Xichang Satellite Launch Center with an undisclosed payload, according to Next Spaceflight tracking.
Later on Thursday, July 23, SpaceX makes its second attempt at Starship Flight 13, targeting a 90-minute window that opens at 6:45 p.m. EDT from Starbase, Texas. The company scrubbed its first try on July 16 after several Raptor 3 engines failed to ignite; two engines were replaced before this week’s attempt. Flight 13 aims to repeat the objectives from Flight 12 in May — deploying brand-new Starlink V3 satellites for the first time and relighting a Raptor engine in space — but this time hoping for a clean splashdown after the Super Heavy booster crashed into the Gulf of Mexico after a landing-burn engine issue on Flight 12. Starship’s continued success is critical to the Artemis program and NASA’s plan for a permanent lunar base.
Also on Thursday, July 23, at 7:30 p.m. EDT, Chinese commercial space launch provider CAS Space is scheduled to launch a Kinetica 1 rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, again with an undisclosed payload per Next Spaceflight.
Closing out the week on Friday, July 24, at 10 a.m. EDT, SpaceX returns to Vandenberg for the Starlink Group 17-51 mission, with the booster targeting a landing on Of Course I Still Love You. Watch it here.
Rocket launches last week
Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Saturday, July 18, at 2:35 a.m. EDT, becoming the first privately developed Indian rocket to reach orbit and making India the third country — after the United States and China — where a private company has pulled off an orbital launch. The four-stage rocket deployed its payloads roughly 17 minutes after liftoff, and mission control declared the debut, named Aagaman, a success.
SpaceX filled out the rest of the week. On Monday, July 13, a Falcon 9 launched the Starlink Group 15-14 mission from Vandenberg, landing its booster on Of Course I Still Love You. On Tuesday, July 14, SpaceX added the Starlink Group 10-45 mission from Cape Canaveral, with the booster landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, while Roscosmos launched the Soyuz MS-29 crew mission to the International Space Station from Baikonur Cosmodrome. SpaceX closed the week on Thursday, July 16, with the Tranche 1 Transport Layer E mission for the Space Development Agency, launched from Vandenberg.
Upcoming rocket launches
On Monday, July 27, SpaceX is scheduled to launch the Starlink Group 17-52 mission from Vandenberg, with the booster again targeting Of Course I Still Love You.
On Wednesday, July 29, a Long March 7A is expected to lift off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site carrying an undisclosed payload, per Next Spaceflight tracking.
On Thursday, July 30, SpaceX is slated to launch NROL-95, a national security payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, from Cape Canaveral.
Brooks Mendenhall is a staff writer for Astronomy magazine and is based in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
