Weekly Spaceflight Update: June 28 - July 6th
It was a very active week for space launches worldwide. Here is our summary of this week:
Haiyang-2E – CASC
On July 2nd, at 7:46 a.m. China Standard Time (CST), CASC launched a Long March 4B rocket from Launch Site 94 (SLS-2) at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China. The rocket carried the Haiyang-2E ocean observation satellite (a marine-sensing spacecraft) for China’s National Satellite Ocean Application Service.
Photo: sorae編集部 速報班
Starlink Group 17-46 – SpaceX
On July 1st, at 7:58 p.m. PDT, a Falcon 9 launched 24 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The first-stage booster B1100 flew for its seventh time and successfully landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific Ocean.
Photo: SpaceX
LA-08 – ULA
On July 2nd, at 12:30 a.m. EDT, United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket launched from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It carried another batch of Amazon Leo (previously Project Kuiper) satellites to orbit. This was the final Atlas V launch supporting Amazon’s constellation as ULA transitions to the Vulcan rocket. It was also the final flight of the powerful Atlas V 551 configuration (with five solid rocket boosters), nicknamed “the Bruiser.”
Photo: Asher B. For Launch Heaven Media
Swift Boost Mission – Northrop Grumman
On July 3rd, at approximately 8:36 p.m. Marshall Islands Time (MHT), Northrop Grumman launched a Pegasus XL rocket from its Stargazer aircraft (a modified Lockheed L-1011 TriStar) over the Kwajalein Atoll region. The mission deployed Katalyst Space’s LINK spacecraft, which will rendezvous with and reboost NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to raise its orbit and extend the satellite’s operational life.
Photo: Kyle H. For Launch Heaven Media
SpaceSail Polar Group 13 – CASC
On July 4th, at 5:30 p.m. China Standard Time (CST), CASC launched a Long March 6A rocket from LC-9A at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China. It carried another batch of communication satellites for the SpaceSail (also known as Qianfan) broadband constellation.
Photo: sorae編集部 速報班
Starlink Group 10-50 – SpaceX
On July 5th, at 6:50 a.m. EDT, a Falcon 9 launched another batch of Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The first-stage booster B1090 flew for its 13th time and successfully landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship in the Atlantic Ocean.
Photo: Asher B. For Launch Heaven Media
SpaceSail Polar Group 14 – CASC
On July 5, 2026, at 9:43 p.m. China Standard Time (CST), CASC launched a Long March 8A rocket from the commercial LC-1 pad at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China. It carried another batch of SpaceSail internet satellites to orbit.
Photo: sorae編集部 速報班
