SpaceX to dominate launch schedule into the new year - TWIRL #194

The TWIRL logo in front of SpaceX Falcon 9

This week we have plenty of missions from SpaceX and one from ISRO, India's space agency. Two of the SpaceX missions are ones which have been delayed from previous weeks. One of them will carry satellites for Astranis Space while the other will carry a comms satellite for UAE-based Yahsat.

Sunday, 29 December

Who: SpaceX
What: Falcon 9
When: 01:35 - 05:35 UTC
Where: California, US
Why: SpaceX will use a Falcon 9 to launch 22 Starlink satellites as part of Starlink Group 11-3. For anyone not aware, Starlink satellites make up a huge constellation in low Earth orbit which beam internet connectivity back to Earth. Anyone in supported countries can use Starlink as their internet provider by becoming a subscriber, it makes the most sense in remote areas where traditional broadband is unavailable. Following the launch, the first stage of the Falcon 9 will try to land.

Who: SpaceX
What: Falcon 9
When: 05:00 - 07:39 UTC
Where: Florida, US
Why: In this mission, SpaceX will use a Falcon 9 to launch four Block 2 MicroGEO satellites for Astranis Space. We've mentioned this mission before but it got delayed. The satellites being launched include Agila, NuView Alpha/Bravo, and UtilitySat. They will provide broadband and on-orbit services for Astranis customers. After the launch, the first stage of the Falcon 9 will likely try to land.

Monday, 30 December

Who: SpaceX
What: Falcon 9
When: 05:00 - 09:00 UTC
Where: Florida, US
Why: SpaceX will attempt to launch 21 Starlink satellites into a low Earth orbit on this mission. The satellites are designated Starlink Group 12-6. Following the launch, the first stage of the rocket will try to land. This mission will include 13 direct-to-cell Starlink satellites.

Who: ISRO
What: PSLV
When: 16:00 - 20:00 UTC
Where: Andhra Pradesh, India
Why: India will launch its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) carrying the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDEx) mission. Also aboard will be the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module 4 which includes payloads and a robotic arm. There will also be a few other payloads for third parties including MOI-TD, India's first AI lab in space for TakeMe2Space.

Thursday, 2 January

Who: SpaceX
What: Falcon 9
When: 05:00 UTC
Where: Florida, US
Why: SpaceX will use a Falcon 9 to launch the Thuraya 4-NGS satellite into a geosynchronous orbit. It's a communications satellite developed by Airbus Defense and Space for the UAE-based Yahsat. This mission has been delayed until now. Following the launch, the first stage of the Falcon 9 will probably be landed.

Recap

The first launch we got last week was a SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying 21 Starlink satellites known as Starlink Group 12-2. Following the launch, the first stage of the Falcon 9 touched down on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean so that it could be reused.

The final launch was performed by Roscosmos. It launched a Soyuz-2.1b carrying the Resurs-P No. 5 Earth observation satellite from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.