SpaceX Postpones Vandenberg Launch Until Monday (Image Credit: Payload)
SpaceX has postponed a planned launch of a Falcon 9 rocket with 49 Starlink communications satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base until Monday morning due to the need complete pre-flight checks. The launch is scheduled at 8:34 a.m. PST (11:34 a.m. EST/16:34 UTC), with a backup launch opportunity later in the day at 12:30 p.m. PST (3:30 p.m. EST/20:31 UTC). SpaceX will webcast the launch.
Falcon 9 will also be carrying D-Orbit’s ION SCV-009 with Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company’s NEA 8″ Payload Release Ring as a hosted payload. The release ring will be tested using a mass simulator.
Orbital Launches
Week of Jan. 30
| Date | Launcher – Organization | Payload – Organization | Purpose | Launch Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 30 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | 49 Starlink, ION SCV009 – SpaceX, D-Orbit | Communications – Space tug | Vandenberg |
| Feb. 1 (3:02 am EST/08:02 UTC) |
Falcon 9 – SpaceX | Starlink – SpaceX | Communications | Kennedy |
| Feb. 5 | Proton-M – Roscosmos | Elekto-L – Roscosmos | Meteorology | Baikonur |
| Feb. 5 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | Amazonas Nexus – Hispasat | Communications | Cape Canaveral |
It is the first of three launches SpaceX has planned for the coming week. On Wednesday, Feb. 1, a Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch Starlink satellites from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. And a Falcon 9 is set to launch Hispasat’s Amazonas Nexus communications satellite on Sunday, Feb. 5.
Russia is scheduled to launch the Elekto-L meteorology satellite aboard Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Sunday, Feb. 5.
The Past Week in Launches
There were launches last week by SpaceX, Rocket Lab and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). It was the first Rocket Lab launch of an Electron rocket from U.S. soil, having conducted all previous flights from Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. Electron lifted off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia.
Orbital Launches
Week of Jan. 22
| Date | Launcher – Organization | Payload – Organization | Purpose | Launch Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 24 | Electron – Rocket Lab | Hawk 6A, 6B, 6B – HawkEye 360 | Signal intelligence | MARS+ |
| Jan. 26 | H-IIA – MHI* | IGS-Radar 7 – CSICE | Reconnaissance | Tanegashima |
| Jan. 26 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | 56 Starlink – SpaceX | Communications | Cape Canaveral |
+Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport
Japan’s first launch of the year equaled the country’s total for all of 2022. The H-IIA flight was successful, while the launch of an Epsilon rocket in October failed.
Orbital Launches to Date
U.S. companies have launched nine times with seven successes and two failures. China is in second place with five successful launches, followed by Japan with one launch.
Orbital Launches by Nation
Through January 29
| Nation | Successes | Failures | Partial Failures | Total | Satellites |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 7 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 269 |
| China | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 29 |
| Japan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 13 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 299 |
SpaceX is at the top of the table with seven launches, followed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation with four. Three other companies –Rocket Lab, Galactic Energy and MHI — have conducted one launch apiece.
Launches by Company
Through January 29
| Company | Nation | Successes | Failures | Total | Satellites |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceX | USA | 6 | 0 | 0 | 266 |
| CASC* | China | 4 | 0 | 4 | 24 |
| Galactic Energy | China | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Rocket Lab | USA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Japan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| ABL Space Systems | USA | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Virgin Orbit | USA | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 13 | 2 | 15 | 299 |
SpaceX has launched 266 satellites, with the majority of them coming on four flights. The company launched 114 satellites on its Transporter-6 rideshare mission, 107 Starlink spacecraft on a pair of Falcon 9 flights, and 40 OneWeb communications satellites.
ABL Space Systems and Virgin Orbit suffered failures with the loss of 11 small satellites.
Launches by Location
Through January 29
| Location | Nation | Successes | Failures | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Canaveral | USA | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Kennedy | USA | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Vandenberg | USA | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport | USA | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska | USA | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jiuquan | China | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Taiyuan | China | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Xichang | China | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Wenchang | China | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Tanegashima | Japan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Cornwall | UK | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 13 | 2 | 15 |
Florida continues to lead the world with four launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and one from the adjoining Kennedy Space Center. China has divided its five launches among its four main spaceports.
MARS hosted its first launch of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket. Virgin Orbit conducted the first orbital launch originating from British soil.
