Launch Roundup: ZhuQue-2E set for first flight; SpaceX, Russia to launch classified missions

Date:
Mon, 25 Nov 2024 22:26:45 +0000

Description:
Landspace is expected to debut the enhanced version of its ZhuQue-2 rocket this week, and The post Launch Roundup: ZhuQue-2E set for first flight; SpaceX, Russia to launch classified missions appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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Landspace is expected to debut the enhanced version of its ZhuQue-2 rocket this week, and there are rumors that the Chang Zheng 12 rocket will take its maiden flight at the weeks end. Roscosmos is due to launch a highly
classified mission from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia, while four Falcon
9 missions are expected this week from all three of SpaceXs active pads in
the United States.

The first of these four Falcon 9 missions, Starlink Group 12-1, launched in the early hours of Monday morning and became the 400th orbital mission flown by Falcon 9 to date. Furthermore, Group 12-1s launch also set a new record
for the fastest booster turnaround time, with Falcon booster B1080 beating
the previous record (21 days, set by B1062 two years ago) with a turnaround
of 13 days and 12 hours.



Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 6-76

A Falcon 9 is expected to lift off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday, Nov. 25, at 10:35 PM EST (03:35
UTC on Nov 26). Onboard will be another batch of Starlink v2 Mini satellites for the sixth and largest shell of the internet satellite constellation.

The booster supporting this mission has not yet been confirmed but is
expected to land on the autonomous droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, which will be stationed approximately 600 km southeast of the Cape in the Atlantic Ocean. As of the recent Starlink Group 12-1 mission, SpaceX has launched over 7,400 Starlink satellites into orbit, of which 668 have deorbited. ZhuQue-2E is rolled to the pad. (Credit: Landspace)

ZhuQue-2E | Unknown Payload

The upgraded ZhuQue-2E (ZQ-2E)variant of Landspaces medium-sized ZhuQue-2 (ZQ-2) rocket is expected to fly on its maiden flight this week. Utilizing liquid methane and liquid oxygen as propellants, ZQ-2 became the first methane-burning rocket to reach orbit almost two years ago in December 2022, and despite an issue with the upper stage on its demo flight, two successful launches followed last year, placing four payloads into Sun-synchronous
orbit.

ZQ-2E is expected to launch on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 02:00 UTC from Site 96 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China, with a launch window lasting a little over an hour. The two payloads onboard have not yet been confirmed but could include two more test satellites for the Honghu constellation. Two 50 kg satellites were lofted by a ZQ-2 last December to test different Hall-effect and ion thrusters. Indications are that the payloads will be deployed approximately eight and a half minutes into the mission, targeting a 300 by 500 km low-Earth orbit inclined 50 degrees.

The 47.3 m tall vehicle was rolled horizontally to the pad on Nov. 22 following successful static fire tests of its second stage a month prior. These also tested and verified the subsystems and propellant loading
processes for the rocket. ZQ-2E uses the same 3.35 m diameter first stage
with four Tianque 12 (TQ-12) engines as the ZQ-2 with an upgraded second
stage that adopts a common bulkhead and a change of engines. This upgraded second stage now features one TQ-15A vacuum-optimized engine in place of the TQ-12 and four TQ-11 vernier thrusters of the ZQ-2. The TQ-15A engine will also be used on the forthcoming ZhuQue-3 rocket and is designed to be reignited in orbit, widening the scope of missions for the ZQ rocket family. Soyuz 2.1b prepares to launch Cosmos 2576 from Site 43/4 at Plesetsk in May 2024. (Credit: Russian Ministry of Defence)

Soyuz 2.1b | Cosmos 2580 (Unknown Payload)

A Soyuz 2.1b rocket is expected to launch the Cosmos 2580 mission, featuring another Lotos-S satellite, into orbit this week, though this has not yet been confirmed. Soyuz 2.1b is expected to launch from an unconfirmed pad at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia on Wednesday, Nov. 27, at 19:00 UTC during a two-hour launch window, carrying the payload to an orbit inclined by 67 degrees. Should a launch on teh 27th be scrubbed, alternative launch opportunities extend into early December.

The Lotos reconnaissance satellites form part of a wider, classified, orbital electronic intelligence system known as Liana. This Electronic Signals Intelligence, or ELINT, system intercepts radar and electromagnetic radiation signals for the location and characterization of sites, ships, and aircraft
of military interest. Four were procured by the Russian Ministry of Defense back in 2017, one of which has yet to be launched and could, therefore, be this payload. A further batch was subsequently ordered in August 2022 and is assumed to still be in production. Previous Lotos launches have been accompanied by a secondary payload, which has been deployed shortly after the primary satellite is released.



Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 6-65

This will be SpaceXs 120th Falcon mission of the year and Falcon 9s 118th mission. Liftoff is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 30, at 12:00 AM EST (05:00 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, lofting another batch of Starlink v2 Mini satellites to low-Earth orbit. This will be the 67th mission to populate Starlinks Group 6 shell, following the Group 6-76 mission earlier in the week. Currently, neither the booster nor the autonomous droneship supporting this mission has been announced.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | NROL-126

This classified mission for the National Reconnaissance Office is likely to
be a fifth batch of Starshield satellites built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman. Liftoff is scheduled for 12:08 AM PST (08:08 UTC) on Saturday, Nov. 30, from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California during a four-hour launch window. Following launch, Falcon 9 will fly on a southeasterly trajectory out of California.

The booster supporting this mission has not yet been announced but is
expected to perform Falcons 112th landing of 2024 on SpaceXs autonomous droneship Of Course I Still Love You . The SXM-7 satellite, almost identical to the SXM-9 satellite replacing it, before it was integrated for launch. (Credit: Space Systems/Loral (SSL)/Maxar Technologies)

Falcon 9 Block 5 | SXM-9

Falcon 9s SXM-9 mission will launch the replacement for the SXM-7 high-power digital audio broadcasting satellite, which was launched four years ago in December 2020. SXM-7, itself a replacement for the XM 3 satellite,
experienced unresolvable issues during its commissioning phase once in orbit.

Operated by SiriusXM, SXM-9 is the first in a series of nearly identical third-generation satellites that will update the fleet. Subsequent launches are planned once per year up to SXM-12 in 2027. Built on Maxars 1300-class platform and massing around 7,000 kg, SXM-9 will support both Sirius and XM services broadcasting of sports, music, news, and entertainment content via satellite radio. The satellite includes a large mesh reflector, which
measures almost 10 m in length when unfurled and has an expected 15-year lifespan.

Launch is expected on Monday, Dec. 2, at 11:09 AM EST (16:09 UTC) from LC-39A in Florida, lofting the satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit. It is anticipated, but not yet confirmed, that the booster will attempt to land downrange on an autonomous droneship.

(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches into the twilight skies of Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)



The post Launch Roundup: ZhuQue-2E set for first flight; SpaceX, Russia to launch classified missions appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2024/11/launch-roundup-112524/


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