In total, five flights are planned around the world this week. The most notable is the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 on the Polaris Dawn mission. A modified Crew Dragon capsule will carry four astronauts into the highest orbit flown by a crewed mission since the Gemini missions.
In addition to the launch of Polaris Dawn, SpaceX will launch three Starlink missions, and China has also launched a Long March 7A rocket.
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-5
The first of three Starlink missions this week launched at the end of a four-hour launch window on Tuesday, August 20, at 9:20 AM EDT (1:20 PM UTC). The window ran from 5:20 AM to 9:20 AM EDT (09:20 to 1:20 PM UTC), with launch occurring from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida.
Falcon 9 launched 22 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a 53-degree inclined orbit on a northeasterly trajectory from Florida. The mission's rocket, B1085, successfully landed at sea aboard SpaceX's autonomous drone ship. A lack of seriousness.
The B1085 rocket was on its maiden flight. After experiencing water ingress during transport back to Florida from the McGregor Engine Test Facility, the rocket had to be completely dried out and recently underwent a static burn on the pad to ensure no ill effects occurred. B1085 is expected to launch NASA's Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station in September, provided no issues are detected post-flight.
SpaceX confirmed the successful deployment of all 22 satellites, bringing the total to 6,917 Starlink satellites launched so far, of which 559 have re-entered, leaving 6,358 in orbit.
An earlier launch of the Long March 7A in June 2024. (Credit: CASC)
CASC Long March 7A | Zhongxing-4A
The Long March 7A Y9 lifted off from Launch Complex 201 at Wenchang Space Launch Site, China on Thursday, August 22 at 12:25 UTC. The payload was ChinaSat-4A, which was placed into a geostationary transfer orbit.
ChinaSat-4A is a communications satellite that carries voice, data and television services.
The Long March 7A is a three-stage rocket with four coupled solid rocket motors. This was the third launch of the Long March 7A in 2024.
This mission marked the 150th successful orbital launch of 2024 worldwide.
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 9-5
SpaceX launch operations will briefly shift coast-to-coast to California for the launch of the Starlink Group 9-5 mission. Launch is scheduled for Friday, August 23, during a four-hour launch window lasting from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. PDT (8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. UTC). This mission will launch from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The booster rocket for this mission has not yet been announced. SpaceX's West Coast drone ship, Of course I still love you, will support this mission and will be stationed approximately 600 kilometers away for the rocket landing.
The payload for this mission is 21 Starlink v2 Mini satellites.
Ceres 1S Galactic Energy | Unknown Payload
Ceres 1S is expected to launch from the Chinese coastal waters near the Haiyang spaceport in China on Monday, August 26 at 05:20 UTC.
The four-stage rocket will carry an as yet unknown payload.
This will be Ceres 1's fourth mission this year.
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Polaris Dawn
The long-awaited Polaris Dawn mission is scheduled to launch Tuesday, August 27, from the historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch is expected to occur sometime during a launch window spanning from 3:38 AM to 7:10 AM EDT (07:38 to 11:10 UTC).
— Chris Bergin – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) August 19, 2024
Falcon 9 rocket B1083 will launch Crew Dragon C207 Resilience on its third flight, with Resilience having previously flown on NASA's Crew-1 and Inspiration4 missions. After separating from the second stage, B1083 will land on one of SpaceX's autonomous unmanned spacecraft, most likely Just read the instructions.
Falcon 9 will fly northeast in an attempt to place the Polaris Dawn crew into the highest Earth orbit ever achieved by a crewed flight – an orbit with an apogee of 1,400 km. The current record of 1,373 km was set by the Gemini 11 crew in 1966. Polaris Dawn astronauts will conduct medical research into the potential effects of this extreme altitude on the human body.
Polaris Dawn’s commander is Jared “Rook” Isaacman, who previously commanded the Inspiration4 mission in 2021. Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a longtime friend and business partner of Isaacman’s, will serve as the mission’s pilot. Poteet served as the Inspiration4 mission director. Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon will serve as Polaris Dawn mission specialists, with Menon also serving as the medical officer. Both Gillis and Menon are SpaceX engineers who have played key roles in astronaut training and mission control operations.
The Polaris Dawn crew has completed training and is certified for spaceflight ✅ heading to Florida this weekend for launch, scheduled no earlier than August 26 🚀 image.twitter.com/asZVo4waMt
— Polaris (@PolarisProgram) August 16, 2024
Resilience It has been modified to meet one of the primary mission objectives: completing the first commercial astronaut extravehicular activity (EVA). At an orbital altitude of 700 km, the crew will don newly designed EVA spacesuits and Resilience It will depressurize. Isaacman and Gillis will exit the vehicle through the modified top hatch and perform a tethered spacewalk while Poteet and Menon remain inside. Resilience.
Another goal of the mission is to be the first to test the Starlink constellation's laser communication systems in space. In addition, medical research will be conducted on decompression sickness, radiation exposure in high orbit, and spaceflight-associated neuroocular syndrome (SANS).
The mission is expected to last up to five days, after which Resilience The space shuttle will deorbit and perform a controlled splashdown. The SpaceX Dragon Shannon recovery ship, which departed Port Canaveral for the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 16, will support the recovery.
Polaris Dawn is the first in a series of Polaris missions planned in collaboration with SpaceX. Subsequent missions will include the first crewed flight of Starship.
Polaris Dawn will be the 84th Falcon 9 mission of 2024. The B1083 rocket will be flying for the fourth time, having previously launched Crew-8, Starlink Group 6-48, and Starlink Group 6-56. It is a relatively new rocket, with its first flight occurring on March 4, 2024.
SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 8-6
This launch has now been postponed until Wednesday, August 28, between 1:50 a.m. and 6:20 a.m. EDT (05:50 and 10:20 UTC) from SLC-40 at CCSFS.
No recovery vessel or booster rocket has been announced for this mission.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 fleet leader, B1062, just flew past the KSC press site a few minutes ago, presumably en route to SLC-40 for Friday morning's Starlink mission.
📸 – @NASASpaceFlight
📺 – https://t.co/pWsv50gmvY image.twitter.com/pT1MAQC2qm
— Max Evans (@_mgde_) August 20, 2024
(Main image: Aerial view of Falcon 9 launch. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
