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<\/p>\nThis week\u2019s launch manifest includes six orbital launches worldwide, including the first Pegasus XL launch since 2021. SpaceX dominates the schedule with three Starlink missions, the Starfall demonstration mission, and the SXM-11 mission \u2014 all of which are to fly on Falcon 9. Internationally, a Chang Zheng 7A launched an unspecified payload on Tuesday.
\nChang Zheng 7A | Unknown Payload<\/p>\n
The first launch of the week was China\u2019s Chang Zheng 7A (CZ-7A), which launched from Launch Complex 201 (LC-201) at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China on Tuesday, June 23. The rocket launched at the top of the 50-minute launch window, which began at 02:10 UTC, with the rocket lofting a classified TJSW-26A satellite on an easterly trajectory to a geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).<\/p>\n
The CZ-7A is a three-stage expendable vehicle developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The 60.13-m tall rocket\u2019s first two stages are fueled by liquid kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX), while the third stage is powered by two YF-75 engines fueled by liquid hydrogen (LH2) and LOX. The first stage employs two YF-100 engines, and the second stage utilizes four YF-115 engines. The vehicle has a total thrust at liftoff of 7,128 kN and can carry up to 12,000 kg to low-Earth orbit (LEO).<\/p>\n
The launch was Chang Zheng 7A\u2019s 16th launch overall and its second mission of 2026.<\/p>\n
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Chang Zheng 7A rolls out. (Credit:CASC)<\/p>\n
Falcon 9 | Starfall Demo<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, June 23, SpaceX launched its first Falcon 9 mission of the week from Space Launch Complex-40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida. The one-hour window began at 06:43 AM EDT (10:43 UTC), with the rocket launching at the top of the window on a southeasterly trajectory inclined at 56.1 degrees. Falcon 9 booster B1078 was on its 29th flight. The booster landed on the company\u2019s autonomous droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas<\/em> (ASOG) downrange in the Atlantic.<\/p>\n The Starfall Demo reentry vehicle will test the autonomous return of customer payloads from Earth\u2019s orbit, a vital capability for in-space research and manufacturing. The vehicle is disc-shaped, 3.1 m in diameter, and 0.75 m in height. The spacecraft can carry up to 1,000 kg of payload into orbit and has a top plate with maneuvering thrusters and a jettisonable heat shield. After a coast of around 1.5 orbits, the vehicle reentered Earth\u2019s atmosphere before SpaceX recovered it in the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n While this demonstration will launch on a Falcon 9, SpaceX\u2019s Starship is likely to fly the future Starfall vehicles. Similar reentry vehicles include Varda Space\u2019s Winnebago, which has flown on SpaceX\u2019s Transporter missions.<\/p>\n Space Technology (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n