SpaceX and China set for multiple satellite launches - TWIRL #201

We have several satellite launches coming up this week, mainly from SpaceX, which has several Starlink missions coming up. There will also be a Long March rocket blasting off with a communications satellite.

Tuesday, 18 February

• Who: SpaceX
• What: Falcon 9
• When: 23:00 - 03:00 UTC
• Where: Florida, US
• Why: In this mission, SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 carrying 23 Starlink satellites into a low Earth orbit. After the launch, we can expect the first stage of the rocket to perform a landing so that it can be reused. This batch of satellites is known as Starlink Group 10-12; you can use this identifier on apps like ISS Detector to see the satellites if they are ever visible in the sky.

Thursday, 20 February

• Who: SpaceX
• What: Starlink
• When: 00:00 - 04:00 UTC
• Where: California, US
• Why: In this mission, SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 carrying 23 Starlink satellites into a low Earth orbit. After the launch, we can expect the first stage of the rocket to perform a landing so that it can be reused. This batch of satellites is known as Starlink Group 15-1; you can use this identifier on apps like ISS Detector to see the satellites if they are ever visible in the sky.

Friday, 21 February

• Who: CNSA
• What: Long March 3B/E
• When: 01:30 UTC
• Where: Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China
• Why: In this mission, China is expected to launch the Zhongxing 9C communications satellite. The satellite was built by the China Academy of Space Technology and it will be operated by China Satcom.

Recap

• On Monday, February 10 at 6:09 p.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. You can watch this launch on SpaceX's website.
• Next up, China used a Long March 8A to launch nine Hulianwang Digui satellites for the China SatNet Guowang internet constellation into orbit. You can check out the launch over on YouTube.
• On Tuesday, February 11 at 1:53 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. You can watch this launch on the SpaceX website.
• The mission took place on Saturday, February 15 at 1:14 a.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched 21 Starlink satellites, including 13 with Direct to Cell capabilities, to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It's also available to watch on SpaceX's website.

That's all for this week; check in next time!

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