Previous Spaceflight Launches
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Long March 2D | Gaofen 6 & Luojia-1
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | ChinaJiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
June 2, 2018, 4:13 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Gaofen is a series of civilian Earth observation satellites developed and launched for the China High-definition Earth Observation System (CHEOS), a state-sponsored programme aimed to develop a near-real time, all-weather, global surveillance network consisting of satellite, near-space (stratosphere) airships, and aerial observation platforms. Luojia-1 is a 6U Earth observation cubesat prototype.
Sun-Synchronous Orbit
SpaceShipTwo | VSS Unity PF02
Virgin Galactic | United States of AmericaAir launch to Suborbital flight
May 29, 2018, noon
Falcon 9 Block 4 | Iridium-6 & GRACE-FO
SpaceX | United States of AmericaVandenberg SFB, CA, USA
May 22, 2018, 7:47 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will deliver 10 satellites to low Earth orbit for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data satellite communications. This is the sixth set of 10 satellites in a series of 75 total satellites that SpaceX will launch for Iridium’s next generation global satellite constellation, Iridium® NEXT. Sharing this launch is the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-on mission, which is a joint project of NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences. It's goal is to track Earth's water movement to monitor changes in underground water storage, the amount of water in large lakes and rivers, soil moisture, ice sheets and glaciers, and sea level caused by the addition of water to the ocean.
Low Earth Orbit B1043 - Flight Proven ( ) Pacific Ocean
Antares 230 | Cygnus CRS OA-9 (S.S. J.R. Thompson)
Northrop Grumman Space Systems | United States of AmericaWallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA
May 21, 2018, 8:44 a.m.
Long March 4C | Queqiao (Chang'e 4 relay satellite)
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | ChinaXichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
May 20, 2018, 9:28 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Chang'e 4 is a Chinese lunar exploration mission that will incorporate an orbiter, a robotic lander and rover. The orbiter serves as a communications relay satellite. It will be placed into a halo orbit around the Earth-Moon L2 Lagrange point and is planned to support further missions to the far side of the Moon.
Lunar Orbit
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Bangabandhu-1
SpaceX | United States of AmericaKennedy Space Center, FL, USA
May 11, 2018, 8:14 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
The Bangabandhu 1 (BD-1) satellite, the first geostationary communications satellite of Bangladesh. Satellite is to be located at 119.1° East longitude slot in geostationary orbit, where it will provide service to Bangladesh and neighbouring countries. Satellite is build by Thales Aleinia Space. It is based on Spacebus 4000B2 platform, weighs 3500 kg and is fitted with Ku-Band and C-Band transponders. The major applications of the spacecraft include DTH, very small aperture terminal communications, backhaul and trunking, network restoration, and disaster preparedness and relief.
Geostationary Transfer Orbit B1046 - Maiden Flight Of Course I Still Love YouLong March 4C | Gaofen 5
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | ChinaTaiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
May 8, 2018, 6:28 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Gaofen is a series of civilian Earth observation satellites developed and launched for the China High-definition Earth Observation System (CHEOS), a state-sponsored programme aimed to develop a near-real time, all-weather, global surveillance network consisting of satellite, near-space (stratosphere) airships, and aerial observation platforms. Based on the SAST5000B bus, Gaofen 5 will carry six types of payloads, including visible and short-wave infra hyper-spectral camera, spectral imager, greenhouse gas detector, atmospheric environment infrared detector at very high spectral resolution, differential absorption spectrometer for atmospheric trace gas, and multi-angle polarization detector. The satellite has a designed life of 8 years. It is to be launched atop of a Long March 4C to a 705km Sun Syncronous Orbit (SSO).
Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Atlas V 401 | InSight, Mars Cube One 1 & Mars Cube One 2
United Launch Alliance | United States of AmericaVandenberg SFB, CA, USA
May 5, 2018, 11:05 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
InSight is a robotic Mars lander designed to study the interior and subsurface of Mars, which would in turn help scientists to understand the Earth and Solar System history. Two 6U CubeSats will piggyback with the InSight mission to help relay communications during the probe's entry, descent, and landing (EDL) phase.
Heliocentric N/A #InSight
Long March 3B/E | APStar-6C
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | ChinaXichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
May 3, 2018, 4:06 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
APStar-6C is a commercial communications satellite for APT Satellite Company Ltd under an end-to-end contract signed with China Great Wall Industry Corp. (CGWIC) for satellite production and launch services. It will deliver VSAT, video distribution, Direct-to-home television and cellular backhaul to the Asia-Pacific Region.
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
New Shepard | NS-8
Blue Origin | United States of AmericaCorn Ranch, Van Horn, TX, USA
April 29, 2018, 5:07 p.m.
