Jonathan's Space Report No. 856 2026 Jun 4 Bromley, UK ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update: ------- Construction on my new Space Library near London is finally proceeding. Updates at https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-jonathans-space-report-library-transition ISS ---- Expedition 74 continues. On May 15 SpaceX launched Dragon CRS-34, with capsule C209. The trunk carries CLARREO Pathfinder and STP-H11. CRS-34 docked with ISS IDA-2 at 1037 UTC May 17. The Dextre arm removed the STP-H7 experiment package from Columbus EPF SOZ on May 18 and installed it in the CRS-34 trunk for disposal on May 20. Dextre removed the AWE experiment from ELC-1 site 3 on May 22 and placed it in the Dragon trunk May 24. Dextre moved the STP-H11 package from the CRS-34 trunk to Columbus EPF SOZ on May 19, and moved the CLARREO Pathfinder payload from the CRS-34 trunk on May 20 and installed it at ELC-1 site 3 on May 23. Kud'-Sverchkov and Mikaev, in suits Orlan-MKS 7 and 6, made spacewalk VKD-66 from Poisk on 2026 May 27. The airlock was depressurized at 1355 UTC, the hatch was opened at 1418 UTC and closed at 2024 UTC, with repressurization beginning at 2032 UTC. The Soltnse-Terahertz experiment was installed on Zvezda, the molecular beam epitaxy cassette was retrieved from Nauka, and a Biorisk cassette was retrieved from Poisk. The spacewakers inspected and tied down the Kurs-NA antenna on Progress MS-33, which had failed to deploy. At 1947 UTC the astronauts accidentally broke off part of the Perspektiva-KM experiment, which floated away. At 2000 UTC they jettisoned a bundle of cleaning towels and tools. Chinese Space Station ---------------------- Shenzhou 23 was launched on May 24, carrying Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyan, and Lai Ka-ying. It docked with the Tianhe nadir port at 1845 UTC May 24. Shenzhou 22, with the Shenzhou 21 crew aboard, undocked from Tianhe's forward port on May 29 at 0644 UTC and landed in the Dongfeng recovery zone at 1211 UTC that day. The orbital module was left in a 382 x 394 km orbit. Starship Flight 12 ------------------- Starship flight 12, with Super Heavy booster 19 and Ship 39, was launched on May 22 at 2230:20 UTC. It was the first version 3 Starship, with Raptor 3 engines. Super Heavy ascent went nominally, albeit with one engine out after 102s, but after hot-staging the boostback burn failed and the booster impacted the Gulf of Mexico downrange instead of near the launch site. One of the six Raptors on the Ship shut down after only 36s, and the Ship performed a contingency profile which involved losing some altitude prior to SECO to build up velocity. Ship engine cutoff was around T+9m15s and left the vehicle in a near-nominal approximately -7 (+/-8) x 194 km x 28 deg orbit. Near apogee, 20 dummy Starlink V3 simulators were deployed in addition to two 'Dodger Dog' modified V2 satellites with V3 components and cameras, which returned images of the deployment. A planned Ship Raptor restart was cancelled. Reentry and splashdown of the vehicle in the Indian Ocean appears to have gone according to plan, and the flight lasted 1h 6m. Starlink launches ------------------ Starlink Group 17-42 (24 Ku sats) was launched on May 20 from Vandenberg. Starlink Group 10-31 (29 Ku sats) was launched on May 21 from Canaveral. Starlink Group 10-47 (29 Ku sats) was launched on May 25 from Canaveral. Starlink Group 17-37 (24 Ku sats) was launched on May 26 from Vandenberg. Starlink Group 10-53 (29 Ku sats) was launched on May 29 from Canaveral. Starlink Group 17-41 (24 Ku sats) was launched on May 30 from Vandenberg. Starlink Group 17-47 (24 Ku sats) was launched on Jun 3 from Vandenberg. CALT launches ------------- CALT launched a CZ-7A on May 26; it sent the TJS-24 military satellite to geotransfer orbit. SAST launches -------------- SAST launched a CZ-2D on May 30 with four satellite internet test satellites (Xingwang Jishu Shiyan Weixing) Chinese commercial launches --------------------------- On May 14 Landspace launched Zhuque-2E flight Y5, introducing a new stretched version of this methalox launch vehicle. It placed a 2800 kg dummy payload in orbit. On May 15 CAS Space launched a Lijian 1, flight Y13, and placed five payloads in orbit. On May 17 China Commercial Rocket launched a Chang Zheng 8 from Hainan with 18 Qianfan internet satellites. On Jun 1 China Commercial Rocket launched the first Chang Zheng 12B from Jiuquan with a set of Qianfan internet satellites. CZ-12B is a two stage kerolox rocket; stage 2 was left in a 736 x 1022 km orbit after a perigee lowering burn. Qianfan -------- It turns out there are two naming systems for the Qianfan constellation: "Qianfan Xingzuo" (Qianfan Constellation), numbered in chronological launch order, and "Qianfan Jigui" (Qianfan Polar Orbit), numbered in production order. The latter names are not always announced. Qianfan Qianfan Xingzuo Jigui LV 2024 Aug 6 01 01 CZ6A 2024 Oct 15 02 02 CZ6A 2024 Dec 5 03 03 CZ6A 2025 Jan 23 04 06 CZ6A 2025 Mar 11 05 ? CZ8 2025 Oct 17 06 18 CZ6A 2026 Apr 7 07 ? CZ8 2026 May 12 08 09 CZ6A 2026 May 17 09 ? CZ8 2026 Jun 1 10 08 CZ12B SMILE ----- The ESA/Chinese SMILE mission was launched on May 19 by Vega-C to low orbit. It will use onboard propulsion to reach a high apogee orbit. It carries instruments to study solar-terrestrial interactions, and an X-ray telescope to study solar wind charge exchange (SWCX). SMILE mass is 2300 kg wet 707 kg dry. Initial orbit of SMILE is 695 x 709 km x 70 deg. ULA ---- ULA launched Atlas V model 551, flight AV-113, on May 29 with the LA-07 batch of Amazon Leo (Kuiper) internet satellites. Varda ----- Varda's W-6 capsule landed at Koonibba range in South Australia on May 19. Landing time was probably around 0603 UTC but an exact time was not given. Meanwhile Varda has reported the W-4 mission has been completed; it appears from tracking data to have attempted a failed reentry on May 10. Three objects were tracked after the attempted deorbit burn; one large one, possibly the reentry capsule, reentered over northern Scotland on Jun 1. Rocket Lab ----------- Another Synspective (Tokyo) StriX radar satellite was launched by Electron from Mahia on May 22. New Glenn ---------- During a static test at Canaveral LC36 on May 29 at 0100 UTC the fourth New Glenn rocket exploded. This does not count as a launch, but I include a record of such pad explosions in GCAT for interest. I have assigned this particular event the launch designation 2026-E01. Table of Recent Orbital (and near-Orbital) Launches --------------------------------------------------- Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL. Catalog Perigee Apogee Incl Notes May 1 1806 Starlink Group 10-38 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 99 259 x 259 x 53.2 May 3 0700 CAS-500 Rideshare Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Tech 100 501 x 509 x 97.4 May 6 0359 Starlink Group 17-29 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 101 264 x 266 x 97.3 May 11 0013 Tianzhou 10 Chang Zheng 7 Wenchang Cargo 102A 374 x 385 x 41.5 May 12 0213 NROL-172 (USA 586 to ?) Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Unknown 103 287 x 288 x 70.0 May 12 1158 Qianfan Digui 09 Chang Zheng 6A Taiyuan Comms 104 819 x 823 x 89.0 May 14 0300 Dingzhihua Shiyan Zaihe Zhuque-2E Jiuquan Test 105A 204 x 894 x 89.0 May 15 0433 Taijing 3-05A Lijian-1 Jiuquan Imaging 106 524 x 542 x 97.5 Taijing 3-06B Imaging 106 Youxi Imaging 106 Dianjian-1 Imaging 106 Jilin-1 GF03D55 Imaging 106 May 15 2205 Dragon CRS-34 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Cargo 107A 207 x 305 x 51.6 May 17 1442 Qianfan Xingzuo 09 Chang Zheng 8A Hainan CLS1 Comms 108 May 19 0352 SMILE Vega-C Kourou ELV Science 109A 695 x 709 x 70.0 May 20 0246 Starlink Group 17-42 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 110 297 x 298 x 97.3 May 21 1004 Starlink Group 10-31 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 111 249 x 250 x 53.1 May 22 0933 StriX-7 Electron Mahia LC1B Radar 112A 542 x 580 x 44.9 May 22 2230 Ship 39 Starship Starbase OLP2 Test U02 -7? x 194 x 28 Starlink simulators (20) Starlink 36232 (Dodger Dog) Starlink 36321 (Dodger Dog) May 24 1508 Shenzhou 23 Chang Zheng 2F Jiuquan Spaceship 113A 380 x 396 x 41.5 May 25 1148 Starlink Group 10-47 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 114 245 x 256 x 53.1 May 26 1450 Starlink Group 17-37 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 115 254 x 269 x 97.3 May 26 1616 TJS 24 Chang Zheng 7A Wenchang Early Warn? 116A 177 x 37858 x 19.5 May 29 1257 Starlink Group 10-53 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 117 243 x 247 x 53.2 May 29 2353 Amazon Leo LA-07 Atlas V 551 Canaveral LC41 Comms 118 450 x 462 x 51.9 May 30 1525 Starlink Group 17-41 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 119 254 x 265 x 97.3 May 30 1807 WHJSW 10-1 to 10-4 Chang Zheng 2D Xichang Comms 120 443 x 456 x 55.0 Jun 1 0840 Qianfan Jigui 08-01, 08-02 Chang Zheng 12B Jiuquan Comms 121 1020 x 1047 x 89.0 Jun 3 1540 Starlink Group 17-47 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 122 257 x 271 x 97.3 Table of Recent Suborbital Launches ----------------------------------- Date UT Payload/Flt Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission Apogee/km Target May 12 RV Sarmat Yasniy Test 1000? Kura May 14 1923 FOXSI-5 Black Brant 9 Poker Flat Solar X 270? Poker Flat May 20 0701 GT256 Minuteman 3 Vandenberg Op. Test 1300? Kwajalein May 31 0633 SubOrb Exp. 5 Red Kite/Red Kite Kiruna Micrograv 260 ESRANGE .-------------------------------------------------------------------------. | Jonathan McDowell | | | Bromley, UK | inter : planet4589 at gmail | | | twitter: @planet4589 | | | | JSR: https://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html | | Back issues: https://www.planet4589.org/space/jsr/back | | JSR is currently no longer available by email | '-------------------------------------------------------------------------'