TWIRL 97: SpaceX to launch larger, more capable Starlink satellites

It may be Christmas time but that doesn’t mean rockets stop being launched! This week, we have two launches from SpaceX and one launch from China. While some of the payloads are a bit interesting, there are no super important launches such as manned launches due this week.

Wednesday, December 28

The first mission of the week will see SpaceX launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will carry the first batch of Block v2 Starlink satellites into a polar low Earth orbit. These upgraded Starlink satellites a significantly larger than their predecessors, weighing around 600 kg, and are more capable. The launch should be available to watch on SpaceX’s website on the day. It’s due for launch at 9:45 a.m. UTC.

Thursday, December 29

The second launch of the week will be yet another SpaceX Falcon 9. Rather than Starlink satellites, this mission will deliver EROS C3 Earth observation satellites into space where they will image the Earth. They’re being launched for ImageSat International, an Israeli remote-sensing company. This mission will also be streamed on SpaceX’s website and it’s due for launch at 6:58 a.m. UTC.

Friday, December 30

The last mission of the week will see China launch a Long March 3B/E carrying two BeiDou navigation satellites into orbit. It’s not certain but they could be replacing some ageing satellites that China previously launched. If you have a smartphone, there’s a very good chance that it will connect to these two satellites when they come online to give you positioning data. Smartphones also connect to the US' GPS satellites, the EU’s Galileo satellites, and Russia’s GLONASS satellites. The mission is due for launch at 6 a.m. UTC.

Recap

The only launch we got last week was a Vega C launch carrying the Pleiades Neo 5 and 6 satellites into a Sun-synchronous orbit. Apparently, there was a problem with the second stage so the mission didn’t reach its intended orbit.

That’s all we have this week, check in next time and Merry Christmas!

TWIRL 97: SpaceX to launch larger, more capable Starlink satellites