{"id":23515,"date":"2026-05-25T22:26:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T14:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/launch-preview-starlink-and-amazon-leo-missions-fill-manifest\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T22:26:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T14:26:12","slug":"launch-preview-starlink-and-amazon-leo-missions-fill-manifest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/launch-preview-starlink-and-amazon-leo-missions-fill-manifest\/","title":{"rendered":"Launch Preview: Starlink and Amazon Leo missions fill manifest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Six orbital launches are expected worldwide this week, headlined by four Falcon 9 Starlink missions from SpaceX\u2019s launch facilities along the Florida and California coasts. Alongside Falcon 9, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V is set to deploy 29 Amazon Leo satellites into low-Earth orbit, and a Chang Zheng 7A from China will deliver an undisclosed payload from Wenchang.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-47<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX launched its first mission of the week on Monday, May 25, aboard a Falcon 9 vehicle from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida. The vehicle lifted off at 7:48 AM EDT (11:48 UTC), seven minutes into the four-hour launch window, delivering a batch of Starlink v2 Mini satellites to orbit.<\/p>\n<p>Falcon 9 flew on a northeasterly trajectory to a low-Earth orbit (LEO) inclined 53.16 degrees. SpaceX\u2019s autonomous droneship <em>A Shortfall of Gravitas<\/em>&nbsp;recovered the first stage booster, B1078, downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. B1078 was on its 28th flight, having previously supported the SpaceX Crew-6 and 22 Starlink missions.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"SpaceX Falcon 9 launches Starlink 10-47\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KKP8sQ3k-SI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid0\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Falcon 9, SpaceX\u2019s partially reusable medium-lift launch vehicle, utilizes two stages powered by Rocket Propellant-1 (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants. Falcon 9\u2019s first stage is powered by nine Merlin 1D engines, while the expendable second stage is powered by a single Merlin 1D Vacuum engine.<\/p>\n<p>Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 17-37&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Cable &amp; Satellite Providers<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>ISPs<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>SpaceX<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>\n<p>     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX will launch its second mission of the week from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California on Tuesday, May 26, at 7:00 AM PDT (14:00 UTC). The four-hour launch window closes at 11:00 AM PDT (18:00 UTC).<\/p>\n<p>Booster B1100, flying on its sixth mission, has previously supported five Starlink missions. Falcon 9 will fly on a southeasterly trajectory to a Sun-Synchronous orbit (SSO) at a near-polar inclination of 97.61 degrees. SpaceX\u2019s droneship <em>Of Course I Still Love You<\/em>&nbsp;will recover the first stage downrange in the Pacific.<\/p>\n<p>Falcon 9 will deliver 24 Starlink v2 Mini satellites for SpaceX\u2019s high-speed internet satellite constellation. Currently, over 10,000 satellites are located in SSO and LEO for the constellation.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-111428\" class=\"wp-image-111428 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9624-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1712\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9624-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9624-350x234.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9624-523x350.jpeg 523w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9624-768x514.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9624-1920x1284.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9624-1170x783.jpeg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9624-585x390.jpeg 585w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_9624-263x175.jpeg 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-111428\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Falcon 9 on the launch pad at SLC-4E at Vandenberg. (Credit: SpaceX)<\/p>\n<p>Chang Zheng 7A | Unknown Payload<\/p>\n<p>China\u2019s Chang Zheng 7A (CZ-7A) will launch an unidentified payload from Launch Complex 201 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China on Tuesday, May 26, during a 45-minute launch window that opens at 16:15 UTC. Following launch, the rocket will travel on an easterly trajectory into an unknown orbit.<\/p>\n<p>The CZ-7A is a liquid-fuelled medium-lift launch vehicle developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) that features three stages and four strap-on liquid boosters. The first two stages utilize RP-1 combined with LOX, while the third stage uses liquid hydrogen and LOX as propellants. The vehicle has a total liftoff thrust of 7,128 kN and can deliver up to 12,000 kg to LEO.<\/p>\n<p>This mission will serve as the CZ-7A\u2019s 15th overall mission and the first of 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-53<\/p>\n<p>SpaceX\u2019s third Starlink mission of the week is scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at CCSFS. The four-hour launch window opens at 7:52 AM EDT (11:52 UTC) on Friday, May 29. Falcon 9 will fly on a northeasterly trajectory to a LEO inclined 53.1 degrees, delivering 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to orbit.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Space Coast Live: 24\/7 Views of NASA, SpaceX Falcon 9 Operations, and Starship Pad Construction\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Jm8wRjD3xVA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid1\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>SpaceX\u2019s east coast droneship, A<em> Shortfall of Gravitas<\/em>, will recover the first stage booster, B1085, in the Atlantic Ocean. The mission will mark the booster\u2019s 16th flight, previously supporting SpaceX\u2019s Crew-9, Fram2, Blue Ghost, and nine Starlink missions.<\/p>\n<p>Atlas V 551 | Amazon Leo (LA-07)<\/p>\n<p>The United Launch Alliance (ULA) is scheduled to launch an Atlas V 551 from Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) at CCSFS&nbsp; on Friday, May 29. The 29-minute launch window opens at 7:33 PM EDT (23:33 UTC). The vehicle will launch on a northeasterly trajectory into an orbit inclined by 51.9 degrees.<\/p>\n<p>Atlas V is ULA\u2019s medium-lift expendable launch system. An RD-180 engine, fueled by RP-1 and LOX, powers the first stage. The Centaur upper stage, powered by two RL10 engines, utilizes liquid hydrogen and LOX propellants. Up to five Graphite-Epoxy Motors (GEM-63) solid rocket boosters can be strapped to the first stage, and the Atlas V 551 utilizes five GEM-63s.<\/p>\n<p>Atlas V will deliver 29 internet satellites to LEO for the Amazon Leo internet constellation, formerly known as Project Kuiper. This mission will serve as the 109th overall Atlas V mission. Atlas V is scheduled to fly just two more Amazon Leo missions and the remaining Boeing Starliner flights before being retired in favor of its replacement, ULA\u2019s Vulcan rocket.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2055363710026231918&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2026%2F05%2Flaunch-preview-052526%2F&amp;sessionId=1b69ea03cfdfa40740e67f6c62761c24425d2303&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"2055363710026231918\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i178349211350211867=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Atlas V received its payload of 29 satellites for the next United Launch Alliance mission to space for Amazon. The Leo 7 launch enables expansion of the Amazon Leo constellation to provide fast, reliable internet to communities around the world. The launch is planned for Friday,\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/KvSNIK4j5b<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ULA (@ulalaunch) May 15, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 17-41<\/p>\n<p>The week\u2019s final mission is a Falcon 9 Starlink launch from SLC-4E at VSFB, scheduled to launch during a four-hour window starting at 7:00 AM PDT (14:00 UTC) on Saturday, May 30. Falcon 9 will follow a southerly trajectory into a SSO inclined 97.1 degrees. The Starlink v2 Mini satellites will use their Hall-effect thrusters to raise their orbital altitudes to 535 km.<\/p>\n<p>Booster B1082, flying on its 22nd mission after a 45-day turnaround, will land atop <em>Of Course I Still Love You<\/em> (OCISLY) downrange in the Pacific Ocean. This mission marks Falcon 9\u2019s 645th overall launch and its 62nd of the year, as well as the 124th launch attempt worldwide in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Lead image: An Atlas V 551 is prepared ahead of its May 29 launch of Amazon Leo satellites. Credit: ULA)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Six orbital launches are expected worldwide this week, headlined by four Falcon 9 Starlink missions from SpaceX\u2019s launch facilities along the Florida and California coasts. Alongside Falcon 9, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V is set to deploy 29 Amazon Leo satellites into low-Earth orbit, and a Chang Zheng 7A from China will deliver an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[688,7758,7815,1695,7816,135,7780,479,276,1843,675,728,682,316,440,363,603],"class_list":["post-23515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-amazon-leo","tag-atlas-v","tag-atlas-v-551","tag-cape-canaveral","tag-chang-zheng-7a","tag-china","tag-cz-7a","tag-falcon-9","tag-kuiper","tag-long-march-7a","tag-slc-40","tag-slc-41","tag-slc-4e","tag-spacex","tag-starlink","tag-ula","tag-vandenberg"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23515"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23515\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}