{"id":23855,"date":"2025-03-17T19:04:23","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T11:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/launch-roundup-electron-falcon-9-and-ceres-1-launches-flying-this-week\/"},"modified":"2025-03-17T19:04:23","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T11:04:23","slug":"launch-roundup-electron-falcon-9-and-ceres-1-launches-flying-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/launch-roundup-electron-falcon-9-and-ceres-1-launches-flying-this-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Launch Roundup: Electron, Falcon 9, and Ceres-1 launches flying this week"},"content":{"rendered":"

The busy launch manifests of recent weeks are continuing, with Falcon 9, Electron, and Chinese rocket launches having taken place this week. SpaceX launched Starlink 12-25 and NROL-57 along with NROL-69, while Starlink 11-7 moved into next week.<\/p>\n

Rocket Lab\u2019s Electron successfully launched from New Zealand on the heels of last week\u2019s \u201cThe Lightning God Reigns\u201d mission on Electron. China\u2019s Galactic Energy also launched a pair of Gushenxing-1 missions from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The debut launch of a European orbital rocket had been set for the end of this week but has been pushed back due to weather.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Gushenxing-1 | Auld Lang Syne<\/p>\n

An orbital launch from China occurred on Monday, March 17. Galactic Energy\u2019s Gushenxing-1 (Ceres-1) flew the mission out of Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert. Launch happened at 08:07 UTC from Site 95A at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, with the rocket following a southwest trajectory that sent a payload of eight satellites to a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).<\/p>\n

The four-stage Gushenxing-1, with three solid-fueled stages and a single liquid-fueled upper stage, is capable of flying up to 300 kg into a 500 km altitude SSO. The satellites flown were the AIRSAT-06 and AIRSAT-07 Earth observation satellites as well as the Yunyao-1 #55-60 weather satellites, placed into a 535 km altitude SSO.<\/p>\n

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Liftoff of Gushenxing-1. (Credit: CASC)<\/p>\n

\u201cAuld Lang Syne\u201d was the second Gushenxing-1 launch of 2025 and the first of two planned for this week. Both flights are from Jiuquan with similar SSO trajectories, which raises the possibility that the second launch is also launching a constellation of Earth observation satellites.<\/p>\n

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Five Kineis satellites being prepared for shipment after being built. (Credit: Kineis)<\/p>\n

Electron | High Five<\/p>\n

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Just over 72 hours after the launch of \u201cThe Lightning God Reigns,\u201d Rocket Lab flew another Electron from its private launch site on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. The \u201cHigh Five\u201d mission, the fifth and final launch for the French company Kineis, launched successfully at 01:31 UTC on Tuesday, March 18, from Launch Complex 1A (LC-1A) at Mahia during an instantaneous window. The 72-hour turnaround between Electron launches was enabled by two operational launch pads at the Mahia site, with Launch Complex 1B (LC-1B) being used for \u201cThe Lightning God Reigns\u201d last week.<\/p>\n

For this mission, Electron launched five satellites, each massing 28 kg, on a southwest trajectory to a circular polar orbit at 650 km altitude inclined 97 degrees. Following separation from Electron\u2019s upper stage, the Curie kick stage completed the necessary orbital maneuvers and deployed the satellites.<\/p>\n