Launch Roundup: Europa Clipper launches, Starlink launches return, China launches new missions

Date:
Mon, 14 Oct 2024 23:08:03 +0000

Description:
The Federal Aviation Administrations (FAA) recent decision to clear SpaceXs Falcon 9 for a return The post Launch Roundup: Europa Clipper launches, Starlink launches return, China launches new missions appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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The Federal Aviation Administrations (FAA) recent decision to clear SpaceXs Falcon 9 for a return to all flights has paved the way for a busy week of launches. Before Falcon 9 returned to flying regular Starlink missions, though, a Falcon Heavy launch with NASAs Europa Clipper mission started the week off.

Following Europa Clippers launch, SpaceX will resume their regular Starlink launches early on Tuesday, Oct. 15, with three additional Starlink launches scheduled for the week. Over in China, a pair of Chang Zheng launches are expected to fly on Tuesday.



SpaceX Falcon Heavy | Europa Clipper

The long-awaited Europa Clipper mission, originally scheduled for launch on Oct. 10 before Hurricane Milton formed and impacted Florida, launched successfully on Monday, Oct. 14, from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch occurred at 12:05 PM EDT (16:05 UTC), on the fourth day of a planetary launch window that extended through the end of October.

B1089, the core of the Falcon Heavy vehicle, made its first and only flight, while the side boosters B1064 and B1065 made their sixth and final flights. The core and the side boosters were expended due to Europa Clipper requiring all of the vehicles performance to make it to its planned trajectory to Jupiter.

B1064 and B1065 flew as a side booster pair on five previous Falcon Heavy flights. These flights were the USSF-44 and USSF-67 missions for the U.S. Space Force, the EchoStar 24 (Jupiter 3) telecommunications satellite, NASAs Psyche asteroid mission, and the USSF-52 mission that carried the X-37B reusable mini-shuttle into space for the OTV-7 mission. Europa Clipper during launch processing. (Credit: NASA)

The 6,065 kg Europa Clipper was launched into a trajectory that will take the spacecraft to Mars, where it will perform a gravity-assist flyby. After
Europa Clipper flies past Mars in February 2025, the spacecraft will be redirected back to Earth for a flyby in December 2026. If all goes as
planned, the largest planetary science mission ever launched by NASA will arrive in orbit at Jupiter on April 11, 2030.

Once in Jovian orbit, Europa Clipper will conduct up to 49 flybys of Europa. The icy moon is believed to contain an ocean of liquid water underneath its icy surface, and the spacecraft will use nine instruments and Europa Clippers communication system to study the moon and its potential for habitability.

Europa Clipper flight was the second Falcon Heavy launch of 2024. This was
the Falcon familys 96th launch of this year, tying 2023s record-setting cadence with just over two and a half months to go in 2024. Falcon Heavy launching Europa Clipper to Jupiter. (Credit: Sawyer Rosenstein for NSF)

SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink 10-10

The first Starlink launch since Sept. 24 is now on the docket after the FAA approved the return to flight for all Falcon 9 missions. Starlink 10-10 is scheduled for launch on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 1:26 AM EDT (05:26 UTC) from SLC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida at the start of a four-hour-long window.

The launch, using a not-yet-known booster, will carry 23 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into low-Earth orbit. Falcon 9 will fly a northeasterly
trajectory, and the satellites will be in an orbit inclined 53 degrees to the equator. The booster will land and be recovered on one of SpaceXs east coast autonomous droneships.

This launch will be the 97th Falcon family launch of 2024, breaking 2023s record cadence, and the 95th Falcon 9 launch of the year. Though SpaceXs original target of 148 Falcon 9 launches for 2024 looks to be out of reach, 2023s record of 91 Falcon 9 launches has been broken.

Despite three groundings due to mission anomalies, including one launch failure, it seems certain that there will be more than 100 Falcon 9 flights
in 2024. In fact, since Starship Flight 5 successfully launched and made it
to space before the Europa Clipper launch, Starlink 10-10 will become the 100th space launch not orbital launch of 2024 for SpaceX when the Starship test flights are counted. The @FAANews has approved the return to flight for Falcon 9! pic.twitter.com/IuQ6uVXSI6

Adrian Beil (@BCCarCounters) October 11, 2024



SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink 9-7

This weeks return of Starlink launches will also see a return of Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California. Starlink 9-7 is scheduled to fly from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at VSFB on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 1:03 AM PDT (08:03 UTC), a little over an hour before Starlink 10-10s launch window ends. Starlink 9-7s launch window, like Starlink 10-10s, will be four hours long.

The booster, which is not yet known, is to be recovered on Of Course I Still Love You , which will be stationed downrange in the Pacific. Falcon 9 will launch on a southeasterly trajectory with a batch of Starlink v2 Mini satellites, likely including some with direct to cell (DTC) capabilities,
into a low-Earth orbit inclined 53 degrees to the equator.

Once the DTC satellites make it to their operational orbit, they will
increase the total number of Starlink DTC satellites in orbit to
approximately 100. The DTC satellites and the overall Starlink system are currently being used to connect parts of North Carolina, Florida, and other communities badly damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Starlink 9-7 will be the 96th Falcon 9 launch and the 98th Falcon family launch of 2024. CZ-6A on the pad before launch. (Credit: CNSA)

CASC Chang Zheng-6A | Unknown Payload

Tuesday, Oct. 15, not only has two Falcon 9 launches scheduled, but also two Chinese launches on the manifest as well. The first Chinese launch of the day is set for 11:25 UTC, in the middle of a short 22 minute launch window, from LC-9A at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Chinas Shanxi Province.

A Chang Zheng 6A (CZ-6A) rocket will be flying what is believed to be a batch of G60 low-Earth orbit communication satellites, though the payload is not known with certainty. Launches from Taiyuan typically fly payloads into Sun-synchronous orbits. The CZ-6A is a medium-lift rocket with two liquid-fuelled stages (using RP-1 and liquid oxygen) and four strap-on solid rocket boosters.

Though all seven CZ-6A launches since the first in 2022 have been successful, the last few launches have seen the upper stages disintegrate in orbit after their missions ended. The upper stages are expected to burn up in Earths atmosphere after their missions have ended, but the recent breakup events
have raised concerns about the amount of debris being generated by the spacecraft in orbit.

The CZ-6A replaces earlier Chang Zheng family vehicles that use storable but highly toxic hypergolic propellants, like the CZ-2, CZ-3, and CZ-4 rockets. Other CZ-6 family rockets are also in use, and these do not use solid rocket boosters. This is the sixth CZ-6 family mission of 2024 as the Chinese
program continues its effort to extend its capabilities. A CZ-4C launching from Jiuquan. (Credit: China Daily News)

CASC Chang Zheng-4C | Unknown Payload

The second Chinese launch of the day is set to use a Chang Zheng 4C (CZ-4C) rocket. Launch is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 23:45 UTC in the middle of a 28 minute launch window from Site 9401 (SLS-2) at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. Jiuquan, located within the Gobi Desert in Inner Mongolia, is best known for hosting Shenzhou crewed launches but also hosts a number of satellite launches from various types of rockets.

The payload for this launch is not currently known, but airspace notices indicate that the payload will be injected into a Sun-synchronous orbit.
These orbits are typically used by Earth observation and reconnaissance satellites as well as weather and communications satellites that need to observe Earths polar regions.

This flight will be only the second launch of a CZ-4C this year, as China works to modernize its fleet of launch vehicles. The original Chang Zheng rockets were derived from liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles, but newer rockets have since been designed with spaceflight intentions. A
view of a stack of Starlink satellites including a Starlink DTC satellite at the top. The deployable antenna and its hinge can clearly be seen in this image. (Credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink 8-19

The third Falcon 9 Starlink launch of the week is scheduled for Thursday,
Oct. 17, at 3:55 PM EDT (19:55 UTC) from SLC-40 at CCSFS at the beginning of
a four hour window ending at 7:55 PM EDT (22:55 UTC).

Falcon 9 will fly a northeasterly trajectory and launch a batch of Starlink
v2 Mini satellites, some with DTC capabilities, to low-Earth orbit. Due to a relative lack of available satellites, Starlinks DTC capabilities are still
in the early stages of development and only provided in certain regions. More satellites will be needed for comprehensive worldwide coverage.

The booster for this launch is not yet known, and its recovery is set for one of SpaceXs east coast-based droneships. Starlink 8-19 is set to be the 97th Falcon 9 and 99th Falcon family flight of 2024 if schedules hold.

SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink 6-61

The fourth Falcon 9 launch this week is Starlink 6-61, which is scheduled to launch on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7:52 PM EDT (23:52 UTC) from SLC-40 at the CCSFS in Florida at the start of a four hour window. Recovery of the
currently unknown booster is set to occur on a droneship located downrange in the Atlantic.

If schedules hold and the prior three Starlink launches launch this week, Starlink 6-61 will become the 100th Falcon family mission of 2024 the first time any rocket family in history has launched 100 times in a single calendar year. Southeasterly launch track for Starlink 6-61. (Credit: NGA)

Starlink 6-61 will launch a batch of 23 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into an orbit inclined 43 degrees to the equator. The rocket will take a
southeasterly trajectory, which has often been done for Starlink launches. This trajectory is often taken due to better recovery weather conditions near the Bahamas rather than to the northeast.

The Starlink 6-61 flight will be the 98th Falcon 9 launch of 2024.

(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches into the night. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)



The post Launch Roundup: Europa Clipper launches, Starlink launches return, China launches new missions appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/10/launch-roundup-101424/


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