The Weekly Rocket Report
01/27/2025-02/09/2025
Ricky Whitmore
Space Writer
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Bi-Weekly Rocket Report! (I’m Kidding). This seems like a bit, but I really am not trying to miss these on purpose. I got knocked out with the Flu last week and I didn’t even start feeling like a human being again until like Thursday afternoon, at which point I figured I may as well wait and do a combo article. So here we are for what is hopefully our last combo report.
Week 1 starts on Monday Jan. 27th with Starlink Group 12- 7 from the Cape. 21 Starlink satellites, some normal and some with direct to cell, were vaulted into LEO and the 1st stage booster landed back down range on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas”.
The next day saw the launch of NVS-02 aboard ISRO’s GSLV MK II. The launch adds to the NVS constellation (Formerly IRNSS), which is a regionalized navigations constellation designed to serve the Indian sub-continent.
Wednesday evening and we are back to Falcon 9. SPAINSAT New Generation I lifted off from 39A, and the payload was placed into Geostationary Orbit. Interestingly, the first stage booster was expended on this mission and did not land, as the entire peak performance of the booster was needed to achieve full orbit.
The remainder of the week was fairly quiet, until Saturday evening, when another Falcon 9 lifted off, carrying another Starlink Mission. The 22 satellites of Starlink Group 11-4 were vaulted into orbit, and the first stage booster landed back down range on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You”.
The final mission of week 1 came in the very early hours Sunday morning, from Japan. An H3-22S blasted off from the Tanegashima Space Center carrying Michibiki 6. They payload on this mission is a Japanese satellite navigation system.
Week 2 began with an absolute whirlwind on Tuesday, 4 launches in a 24-hour time span. The first of these was at 5:15AM, when a Falcon 9 carried 21 satellites aboard Starlink Group 12-3 to orbit. The booster proceeded to land back down range on the drone ship “Just Read The Instructions”.
Launch number 2 came at 11AM when the BE-3 engine of the New Shepard rocket was ignited in the West Texas desert. New Shepard carried no passengers this time, instead being loaded up with 30 payloads which were subjected to lunar gravity inside the capsule, a first for New Shepard. This was accomplished by spinning the capsule as it headed towards apogee allowing the experiments inside to experience simulated lunar gravity. Both the Booster, and the Capsule landed safely back in the desert following the mission.
1st Stager Booster of the NS-29 mission landing in the West Texas Desert. Photo Credit: Blue Origin.
Next on the docket was another Falcon 9, this time launching WorldView Legion 5 & 6. Following a booster landing back on land at LZ-1 the 2 Earth observation satellites were deployed in a polar orbit.
Falcon 9 booster landing at LZ-1 following its flight on the WorldView Legion 5&6. Photo Credit: SpaceX.
The final launch of the day was from Russia. The rarely used Soyuz 2.1v rocket launched 3 top secret Russian military satellites, given the designations Cosmos 2581, 2582, and 2583.
The week continued, and ended Saturday with two more launches. The first of these was a Falcon 9 launching Starlink Group 12-9. Following a booster landing down range on the drone ship “A Shortfall of Gravitas” the 21 satellites were deployed to low earth orbit.
The last launch of the week came from Rocket Lab. An Electron launched 5 more satellites in their contract with Kineis. The launch placed the 5 satellites in orbit during the mission, called IoT 4 You and Me.
That draws week 2, and thus, this article, to a close. This past Tuesday was a real adventure, 4 launches in the same day is always super exciting. Again, I apologize for my delay in getting this out, the Flu is no joke man. Hope everyone has a pleasant, and healthy week and I’ll see you back here next week for another Weekly Rocket Report!
As always feel free to write to me at rickyew2112@gmail.com, or find me on X @Rickyew2112
Sic Itur Ad Astra
(Thus They Journey to the Stars)