Weekly Spaceflight Update: August 17 - August 23rd
Honghu-03 - LandSpace
On Wednesday, August 19th, 2026 at 7:35 AM CST, LandSpace’s ZhuQue-3 rocket lifted off from Site 96B at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. It successfully delivered the Honghu-03 mission to Low Earth Orbit, and the first stage booster became the second Chinese rocket to propulsively land and the first private Chinese rocket to do so.
After landing successfully, photos surfaced on Chinese social media website Weibo of the booster with a large fire around it and subsequently tipping over. LandSpace has not publicly admitted to this mishap, but it has been confirmed by imagery. While this is unfortunate, the overall achievement is still very impressive.
Photo: Landspace
Starlink Group 17-50 - SpaceX
On August 19th at 9:01 PM PDT, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California carrying 24 Starlink satellites to orbit. First-stage booster B1097 flew for the 12gh time and landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific.
Photo: Frank M. // Launch Heaven Media
The Lightning God Defends - RocketLab
On August 21st at 1:04 a.m. NZST, Rocket Lab launched an Electron rocket from LC-1B from the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. The launch carried the QPS-SAR-18 satellite to Low Earth Orbit. The spacecraft is a small SAR satellite that collects high-res photos of Earth, cutting through clouds even in order to get that imagery. The constellation is planned to have 36 total satellites before it is complete.
Photo: Rocket Lab
Starlink Group 10-39 - SpaceX
On August 21st at 11:14 a.m. EDT, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida carrying 29 Starlink satellites to orbit. First-stage booster B1078 flew for the 30th time and landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic.
Photo: Asher Brinkman // Launch Heaven Media
Starlink Group 15-20 - SpaceX
On August 22nd at 12:25 a.m. PDT, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Florida carrying 27 Starlink satellites to orbit. First-stage booster B1100 flew for the 9th time and landed on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific.
Photo: SpaceX
