Jonathan's Space Report
No. 846 2025 Jun 23 Somerville, MA
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International Space Station
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Expedition 73 continues.
The Dragon CRS-32 cargo ship undocked from IDA-3 on May 23 at 1605 UTC. It carried the EMU 3009
spacesuit, launched to ISS in 2019. CRS-32 landed off the coast of San Diego
at 0544 UTC May 25.
Progress MS-30 reboosted the ISS by 0.3 m/s at 0234 UTC Jun 19.
Starlink
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Starlink Group 11-16 (27 Ku V2MO sats) was launched on May 23 from Vandenberg.
Starlink Group 12-22 (13 DTC and 10 Ku V2MO sats) was launched on May 24 from Canaveral.
Starlink Group 17-1 (24 Ku V2MO sats) was launched on May 27 from Vandenberg to 0840 LTDN sun-sync orbit.
Starlink Group 10-32 (27 Ku V2MO sats) was launched on May 28 from Kennedy.
Starlink Group 11-18 (27 Ku V2MO sats) was launched on May 31 from Vandenberg.
Starlink Group 12-19 (13 DTC and 10 Ku V2MO sats) was launched on Jun 3 from Canaveral.
Starlink Group 11-22 (27 Ku V2MO sats) was launched on Jun 4 from Vandenberg.
Starlink Group 15-8 (26 Ku V2MO sats) was launched on Jun 8 from Vandenberg.
Starlink Group 12-24 (13 DTC and 10 Ku V2MO sats) was launched on Jun 10 from Canaveral.
Starlink Group 15-6 (26 Ku V2MO sats) was launched on Jun 13 from Vandenberg.
Starlink Group 12-26 (13 DTC and 10 Ku V2MO sats) was launched on Jun 13 from Canaveral.
Starlink Group 15-9 (26 Ku V2MO sats) was launched on Jun 17 from Vandenberg.
Starlink Group 10-18 (28 Ku sats) was launched on Jun 18 from Canaveral.
Starlink Group 10-23 (27 Ku sats) was launched on Jun 23 from Canaveral.
Other Falcon launches
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US Space Force GPS III space vehicle SV08 was launched on May 30 from Canaveral.
Sirius XM's SXM-10 digital audio radio broadcasting satellite was launched on Jun 7 from Canaveral.
Kosmos-2588
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A Soyuz-2-1b/Fregat was launched on May 23 placing a satellite for the Russian Defense Ministry
in orbit. The satellite was given the cover name Kosmos-2588. The Soyuz third stage
reentered east of New Zealand at about 0921 UTC; the Fregat upper stage was deorbited south of Tasmania
at about 1230 UTC.
The satellite is thought to be an inspector satellite in the Nivelir series; it is in the same orbital
plane as the American spy satellite USA 338.
CALT launches
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On May 28 CALT launched the Tianwen-2 asteroid sample return mission by CZ-3B from Xichang. TW-2 is expected to visit
469219) Kamo'oalewa in 2026. The CZ-3B third stage entered a 29.3 deg parking orbit and then reignited
to send TW-2 on an escape trajectory with a C3 of around 13.5 km2/s2.
On Jun 20 CALT launched a CZ-3B from Xichang with the ZX-9C civilian
communications satellite. Space Force cataloged two objects, the third
stage in its expected 241 x 35802 km geotransfer orbit, and the payload
in a low-apogee 218 x 12430 km orbit. Only one orbit element set has
been published to date for each object. It is hard to see how a CZ-3B
could deliver the payload to such a low apogee orbit and then end up
with the stage itself in the right place; either a major anomaly or a
spurious orbit solution. China reported a successful launch. I suspect a
tracking error, but I await further orbit data before forming any firm
opinions.
SAST launches
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On May 29 SAST launched a CZ-4B with the Shi Jian 26 optical remote sensing satellite, developed by
the Harbin Inst. of Technology. Stage 3 lowered its perigee after deploying the payload.
On Jun 5 SAST launched a CZ-6A with a batch of five Weixing Hulianwang Digui (Xingwang) internet
satellites. Stage 2 made a small perigee lowering manuever at 2138 UTC after deploying the payloads.
On Jun 14 SAST launched a CZ-2D with the second Zhangheng earthquake electromagnetic-precursor
science payload, including electric and magnetic field detectors and particle detectors.
The satellite was placed in the same orbital plane as the first in the series; the CZ-2D second
stage was deorbited.
Starship
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Starship Flight 9 was launched on May 27 using Booster 14 (on its second flight and Ship 35.
Launch was at about 2336:29 UTC.
Booster 14 completed its ascent burn and Ship hot-staged (ignited and then separated) at about T+2m40s,
with the booster successfully separated in a controlled direction for the first time.
The SpaceX webcast provided less info than previously but the booster likely reached an
apogee of about 95 km. It made a controlled descent towards the Gulf of Mexico but
reignition of the engines for the landing burn at about T+6m17s resulted in destruction of the
vehicle, for reasons that are not yet publicly known.
Ship completed a successful ascent on all 6 engines, with shutdown at
about T+9m0s in an orbit that I estimate as 5 x 189 km x 26.5 deg. I
can't quite get the height and velocity curves from the webcast to yield
a consistent orbit solution; the velocity values prefer a perigee of
around plus 5 km, the height values prefer more like minus 15 km, and this may serve
as an indication of the uncertainty range.
At T+17 min the payload bay door opening process began but was unsuccessful and the
door was resealed; the eight Starlink-3 simulators (dummy payloads) were not ejected.
At T+22 min the Ship's attitude began to oscillate notably and by T+26 min (0002 UTC May 28)
attitude control had been lost. According to a later statement by SpaceX this was due
to internal tank leaks; the problem may have begun not long after SECO.
The planned restart of a Raptor engine was cancelled
and by T+42m the vehicle was 'passivating', dumping its propellant. Ship 35
was destroyed on reentry, with loss of signal at 0023:18 UTC May 28 at an altitude
of 59 km.
Because of the marginal orbit I am assiging a 'U' series launch designation, 2025-U02. It will, as usual,
not get a Space-Force-assigned international designation.
I am categorizing the *launch* as a success since it reached the correct trajectory,
even though the *mission* failed due to problems following propulsion cutoff. Compare a conventional
launch of a satellite on a rocket in which the rocket worked fine and put the satellite in
the right orbit, but the satellite failed to operate. In Starship, as for Shuttle, a single
vehicle plays the role of both the upper stage and one of the payloads. Similarly, loss of the
booster on landing - as for a Falcon 9 mission - does not score against launch vehicle success;
it is a finanical hit on the launch service provider but doesn't impact successful delivery
of the payloads.
On Jun 19 at 0401:53 UTC, Ship 36, being prepared for flight 10, exploded on the test stand at the Massey Outpost,
Starbase, Texas site, with apparently associated destruction of nearby test facilities but no casualties.
This is likely to mean a significant pause in the test flight schedule.
Electron
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Electron flight 65 on Jun 2 placed the second Gen3 BlackSky imaging satellite in a 470 km orbit.
Stage 2 was left in a 199 x 471 km transfer orbit. The kick stage was left in the payload orbit.
Electron flight 66 on Jun 11 placed the QPS SAR 11 (Yamatsumi I) radar satellite in orbit for iQPS (Japan).
Angara
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Russia launched the first operational mission of Angara-A5 on Jun 19, carrying a payload for
the Ministry of Defense to a supersynchronous transfer orbit.
Kuiper
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ULA launched Atlas AV-105 on Jun 23, placing the second batch of 27 Kuiper internet satellites in orbit
for Amazon Kuiper.
Hakuto-R M2
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Reslience, the second iSpace (Japan) Hakuto-R lander, lowered its orbit around the Moon to 100 x 100 km
on May 28. On Jun 5 at about 1809 UTC it made a deorbit burn, but impacted the lunar surface at high
speed at 1915 UTC near the target landing side in Mare Frigoris (60.5N 4.6W).
LDPE-2
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The Space Force's LDPE-2 tug, operating in GEO drift orbit since late
2022, has deployed another two ESPASat-class payloads, USA 546 and USA 547. Similar
payloads (USA 341, 344, 399) were deployed by it in 2023 Jan, 2023 Apr,
and 2024 Aug. The spacecraft continues to make manuevers.
Table of Recent Orbital (and near-Orbital) Launches
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Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL. Catalog Perigee Apogee Incl Notes
May 20 1150 Zhongxing-3B Chang Zheng 7A Wenchang LC201 Comms 106A 206 x 35799 x 15.5
May 21 0319 Starlink Group 12-15 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 107 283 x 291 x 43.0
May 21 0404? Taijing 3-04 Lijian-1 Jiuquan Imaging 108 517 x 537 x 97.5
Taijing 4-02A Radar 108
Xingrui-11 Imaging 108
Xingjiyuan-1 Imaging 108
Xiguang 1-02 Imaging 108
Lifang 108-011 Meteo 108
May 23 0836 Kosmos-2588 Soyuz-2-1b/Fregat Plesetsk LC43/4 Inspector 109A 464 x 481 x 73.0
May 23 2232 Starlink Group 11-16 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 110 263 x 275 x 53.2
May 24 1719 Starlink Group 12-22 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 111 284 x 288 x 43.0
May 27 1657 Starlink Group 17-1 Falcon 9 Kennedy LC39A Comms 112 262 x 277 x 97.6
May 27 2336 Ship 35 (Flight 9) Starship Starbase OLP1 Test U02 5? x 189 x 26.5
May 28 1330 Starlink Group 10-32 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 113 262 x 273 x 53.2
May 28 1731 Tianwen-2 Chang Zheng 3B Xichang Asteroid probe 114 200?x-75000? x 29.3
May 29 0412 Shi Jian 26 Chang Zheng 4B Jiuquan Imaging 115 490 x 503 x 97.5
May 30 1738 GPS III SV08 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Nav 116 388 x 20222 x 55.0
May 31 2010 Starlink Group 11-18 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 117 263 x 268 x 53.1
Jun 2 2357 Global-32 Electron Mahia LC1B Imaging 118A 455 x 491 x 59.0
Jun 3 0443 Starlink Group 12-19 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 119 283 x 292 x 43.0
Jun 4 2340 Starlink Group 11-22 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 120 262 x 274 x 53.2
Jun 5 2045 WHWD (Xingwang) 04-01 to 04-05 Chang Zheng 6A Taiyuan Comms 121 996 x 1007 x 86.5
Jun 6? USA 546 LPDE-2, GEO Tech? 22144L 35700 x 36100 x 4.7?
Jun 7 0454 SXM-10 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 122A 192 x 21920 x 27.0
Jun 8 1420 Starlink Group 15-8 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 123 266 x 279 x 70.0
Jun 10 1305 Starlink Group 12-24 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 124 283 x 293 x 43.0
Jun 11 1531 Yamatsumi-I Electron Mahia LC1A Radar 125A 569 x 582 x 42.0
Jun 13 0154 Starlink Group 15-6 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 126 264 x 278 x 70.0
Jun 13 1529 Starlink Group 12-26 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 127 284 x 292 x 43.0
Jun 14 0756 Zhangheng 1-02 Chang Zheng 2D Jiuquan Sci 128A 491 x 504 x 97.3
Jun 17 0336 Starlink Group 15-9 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 129 265 x 279 x 70.0
Jun 17? USA 547 LPDE-2, GEO Tech? 22144M 35700 x 36100 x 4.7?
Jun 18 0555 Starlink Group 10-18 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 130 264 x 273 x 53.2
Jun 19 0300 Kosmos-2589? Angara A5 Plesetsk LC35 Tech? 131A 20270 x 51108 x 1.1
Jun 20 1237 Zhongxing 9C Chang Zheng 3B Xichang LC2 Comms 132A 241 x 35802 x 27.5
Jun 23 0558 Starlink Group 10-23 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 133 264 x 273 x 53.2
Jun 23 1054 Kuiper KA02 01 to 27 Atlas V 551 Canaveral LC41 Comms 134
Table of Recent Suborbital Launches
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Blue Origin's New Shepard NS-32 flew on May 31 with launch at 1339:18 UTC to apogee of 104.8 km.
Passengers Gretchen Green, Paul Jeris, Jesse Williams, Jaime Aleman
Healy, Aymette Medina Jorge and Mark Rocket (Mark Stephens) became space travellers 736 to 741.
The flight used the RSS First Step capsule (CC2.0-2) and booster PM4-4.
Date UT Payload Rocket Site Mission Apogee Target
May 21 0701 GT253 Minuteman 3 Vandenberg LF10 Op.Test 1300? Kwajalein
May 31 1339 NS-32 New Shepard W Texas Tourist 105 W Texas
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| Jonathan McDowell | |
| Somerville MA 02143 | inter : planet4589 at gmail |
| USA | twitter: @planet4589 |
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