The week of Oct. 23 through Oct 30 is a big one for low-Earth orbit (LEO) with all but one flight headed to already existing constellations. This includes two Falcon 9 launches on opposite sides of the country and two different launches planned out of China, one involving humans.
Two Chinese launches start the week, with the first being a Chang Zheng 2D preparing for its flight from LC-3 at Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Then, a Chang Zheng 2F/G will launch out of LC-90 at the China Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, before a Falcon 9 launches another Starlink payload on the other side of the world out of Space Launch Complex (SLC) 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). Finally, ending the week is another Falcon 9 Starlink launch out of SLC-4E at Vandenberg Spaceforce Base (VSFB).
Chang Zheng 2D – Yaogan 39 Group 04
China is preparing to launch more military reconnaissance satellites into LEO on Monday, Oct. 23, at 20:01 UTC out of LC-3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China. While not much information is known about the payload, it is believed that Yaogan 39-04A, 39-04B, and 39-04C reconnaissance satellites are in the payload bay. These satellites will become the 135th, 136th, and 137th Yaogan class satellites launched by China.
The Yaogan satellites are believed to be ELINT capable, which means that they use electronic sensors to gather intelligence by locating the radar of ground systems. This capability can give a strategic advantage to military endeavors like jamming any type of electrical signal.
The satellites will be launched using a Chang Zheng 2D, which is one of China’s workhorse rockets. This will be its 10th flight of 2023 and its 83rd total launch since its maiden flight on Aug. 2, 1922.
Chang Zheng 2F/G – Shenzhou 17
China won’t stop with only one launch this week. Next up on the list is the Chang Zheng 2F/G taking three taikonauts to the Tiangong space station in LEO. The launch is scheduled for 11:14 PM EDT on Oct. 25 (03:14 UTC on Oct. 26) out of LC-90 at the China Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and will be China’s 12th crewed mission and 17th Shenzhou mission.
A @planet satellite captured Shenzhou-17 on the pad at Jiuquan after rolling out earlier today.
Crew and crowds can be seen gathering nearby the rocket as it's prepared to launch three humans to the Chinese Space Station later this month. More: https://t.co/4hXPnidLmX https://t.co/yxv6GFXMgo pic.twitter.com/axwZp5TNAq
— Harry Stranger (@Harry__Stranger) October 19, 2023
The Tiangong space station is a three-module, 340-cubic-meter space station first launched on Apr. 29, 2021, and is operated by the China Manned Space Agency. The station can hold up to six crew members at a time and houses 23 pressurized experimental racks and 52 exposed experimental racks. China plans to gain information on how humans react in a weightless environment for long periods of time, and multiple technologies like rendezvous maneuvers in orbit and regenerative life support using Tiangong.
Shenzhou 17 will continue to expand the lifespan of Tiangong’s already two-and-a-half years in orbit by bringing a new crew up to work on the space station for six months. The crew of this mission will likely be unknown until the day before launch when the People’s Liberation Army Astronaut Corps will announce the Commander, Operator, and System Operator.
The first Falcon 9 launch of this week is taking place on Oct. 28 at 7:13 PM EDT (23:13 UTC). This will take a batch of 23 Starlink v2-mini satellites to LEO. Launching from SLC-40 at CCSFS in Florida, the Falcon 9 will take this Starlink mission for a ride on an unknown booster at this time.
To a p h r e s h Falcon 9 and @ESA_Euclid telescope –
out girl scouts
This mission marks the first standalone partnership flight between @esa and @SpaceX – well done to all!
Off on a journey to see the unseen!
– @NASASpaceflight pic.twitter.com/gOs4Qgp6Fw
— Max Evans (@_mgde_) July 1, 2023
This launch is going to fly on a southeastern trajectory inclined at a 43-degree angle to the equator. This should place the payload into a 284 by 293-kilometer LEO. Then the Starlink v2-mini will use its Hall-effect thrusters to reach a stable circular orbit at 530 kilometers.
The booster will plan to land on one of SpaceX’s autonomous spaceport drone ships, Just Read The Instructions, which will be downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. If everything goes right, this will be Falcon 9’s 224th total landing. About 50 kilometers further downrange, the fairing halves will splash down and be recovered. This will be Falcon 9’s 49th Starlink mission this year and will also be the 268th mission of Falcon 9’s operational life.
With SpaceX’s goal of launching 100 times this year, in the coming weeks SpaceX will be launching many Starlink missions. This week’s second Starlink mission is taking place at 11:16 PM PDT on Oct. 28 (06:16 UTC on Oct. 29). Like all Group 7 missions, this launch will take place from SLC-4E from VSFB. This Falcon 9 will take 22 more Starlink v2-mini satellites to LEO — the most satellites launched on a Group 7 mission.
An unknown Falcon 9 Booster will take these 22 Starlink satellites on a southeastern trajectory inclined at a 53-degree angle to the equator. The second stage of Falcon 9 will then take the satellites to an initial deploy orbit of 286 by 296 kilometers. In the coming months, the satellites will raise their orbits to the operational 530-kilometer circular orbit.
The booster will then complete its mission by returning to SpaceX’s drone ship stationed on the West Coast, Of Course I Still Love You. This ship will be stationed 631 kilometers downrange in the Pacific Ocean. The fairings will also be recovered around 681 kilometers downrange.
Starlink is hitting a massive milestone with this flight. While there are around 4,400 operational Starlink satellites, this launch should put the number of active Starlink satellites in orbit over 5,000 to exactly 5,011. The leftover 600 just need to raise their orbit to 530 kilometers to become operational.
(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches heaviest payload yet of 23 Starlink v2 mini satellites. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
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