Weekly Spaceflight Update: August 3 - August 10th
SatNet LEO Group 23 - CASC
On August 4th at 4:52 p.m. CST, CASC launched a Long March 8A rocket from Commercial LC-1 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China, carrying nine satellites for the SatNet internet constellation into low Earth orbit. The mission was successful.
Photo: sorae
Starlink Group 17-53 - SpaceX
On August 4th at 10:05 a.m. PDT, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying another batch of 24 Starlink satellites. First-stage booster B1063 made its 34th flight and landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific Ocean.
Photo: SpaceX
OSE HS-01 & 02 - CASC
On August 5th at 10:38 a.m. CST, a Jielong-3 rocket launched from the offshore site at Haiyang Oriental Spaceport in China. It carried two Earth-observation satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit.
Photo: CCTV News
BlueBird 11 to 13 - SpaceX
On August 5th at 3:49 a.m. EDT, SpaceX launched three BlueBird internet satellites for AST SpaceMobile from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. First-stage booster B1077 made its 30th flight and landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Photo: Gavin R. For Launch Heaven Media
The Grain Goddess Provides - RocketLab
On August 6th at 9:18 p.m. NZST, Rocket Lab launched an Electron rocket from LC-1A on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. It carried the QPS-SAR-13 (MIKURA-I) satellite for iQPS into low Earth orbit.
Photo: RocketLab
Starlink Group 17-38 - SpaceX
On August 8th at 9:35 a.m. PDT, a Falcon 9 launched another batch of 24 Starlink satellites from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. First-stage booster B1093 made its 16th flight and landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship.
Photo: SpaceX
ChinaSat-4B - CASC
On August 10th at 8:02 p.m. CST, CASC launched a Long March 7A rocket from LC-201 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China, carrying the ChinaSat-4B geostationary communications satellite. Approximately 85-90 seconds after liftoff, near Max Q (the region of maximum dynamic pressure and structural loads), an anomaly occurred. Reports indicate a structural failure or collapse involving the upper section of the vehicle, leading to a mid-air explosion and complete loss of the mission. This was the first failure of the Long March 7A since its maiden flight in 2020. An investigation is underway. Any impact on China’s lunar program timeline remains unknown.
Photo: CASC
Michibiki 7 - MHI
On August 11th at 4:23 a.m. JST, Japan launched an H3 rocket from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex (LA-Y) at Tanegashima Space Center. It successfully delivered the Michibiki 7 navigation satellite for the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) into its planned high-Earth orbit.
Photo: @tnsc_JAXA on X
ISS Spacewalks
On August 6th, NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Jessica Meir completed a 6-hour, 27-minute spacewalk. They prepared the 3B power channel for the future installation of a new roll-out solar array. Toward the end of the EVA, Menon’s spacesuit produced an off-nominal carbon-dioxide sensor data reading. Ground teams are reviewing whether a different suit will be needed. As a result, the next spacewalk has been rescheduled to August 18th.
Photo: NASA
Rocket Lab Unveils GHOST
Rocket Lab unveiled its new GHOST (Global Hypersonic & Orbital Spaceport Technology) system: a containerized, portable launch infrastructure packaged in standard shipping containers. It supports flexible deployments of Electron and HASTE rockets for orbital and suborbital missions from additional locations worldwide.
Photo: RocketLab
Blue Origin NEW GLENN UPDATE
Blue Origin reported that the May 2026 New Glenn pad mishap was caused by a main liquid-oxygen (LOX) valve on one of the BE-4 engines. The anomaly produced an explosive engine start that led to loss of the vehicle.
Photo: Asher B. For Launch Heaven Media
