A Falcon Heavy rocket launches the Psyche asteroid mission.
Image credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani.
Welcome to the Launch Roundup! In this edition, SpaceX sent a NASA spacecraft on a journey to an asteroid and continued to deploy its Starlink broadband constellation. China might be preparing to launch a new crew to the Tiangong space station later this month.
Recent Launches
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched NASA’s Psyche spacecraft to the asteroid 16 Psyche from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 13. Psyche will take nearly six years to reach the M-type asteroid, which is believed to be composed primarily of iron and nickel.
Recent Launches
| Date | Launcher – Organization | Payloads – Organization | Purpose(s) | Launch Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 13 | Falcon Heavy – SpaceX | Psyche – NASA | Asteroid orbiter | Kennedy |
| Oct. 13 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | 22 Starlink – SpaceX | Communications | Cape Canaveral |
| Oct. 15 | Long March 2D – CASC* | Yunhai-1-04 – SAST+ | Meteorology | Jiuquan |
+ Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology
Source: Wikipedia
It was the fourth Falcon Heavy launch of the year and the eighth flight of the giant rocket since 2018.
SpaceX continued to deploy its Starlink broadband constellation. The company has now launched just under 1,600 Starlink satellites this year on 46 dedicated Falcon 9 flights. SpaceX has launched more than 5,265 Starlink spacecraft since 2018.
Starlink Launches
| Year | Launches | Satellites |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 46 | 1,599+ |
| 2018-2023 | 116^ | 5,265* |
^ Includes 113 dedicated launches, two Transporter rideshare missions, and two test satellites as launched as secondary payloads.
* Does not include 16 secondary payloads from other companies.
SpaceX has at least four additional Starlink launches planned for later this from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Upcoming Launches
| Date | Launcher – Organization | Payloads – Organization | Purpose(s) | Launch Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 17 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | 22 Starlink – SpaceX | Communications | Cape Canaveral |
| Oct. 19 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | 21 Starlink – SpaceX | Communications | Vandenberg |
| Oct. 21 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | 22 Starlink – SpaceX | Communications | Cape Canaveral |
| Oct. 25 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | 22 Starlink – SpaceX | Communications | Cape Canaveral |
| TBA? | Long March 2F – CASC* | Shenzhou-17 – CMSA+ | Tiangong crew | Jiuquan |
+ China Manned Space Administration
Source: Wikipedia
State-owned media reports indicate that China is preparing to launch the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft with three taikonauts later this month. There has been no official announcement from the government. The Shenzhou-16 crew of Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu, and Gui Haichao were launched to Tiangong on May 30.
Launches by Nation
There have been 169 orbital launch attempts globally, with 159 successes and 10 failures. The number has been adjusted to include a previously unknown failure of an Iranian Qaem 100 launch on March 4 that attempted to launch a communications satellite for the Iranian Space Agency.
The United States has now launched 90 times, exceeding last year’s total of 87 attempts. SpaceX continues to lead with world with 74 launches that have placed 2,000 payloads into orbit.
China is in second place with 45 successes and one failure. The nation plans to launch at least 60 times this year.
Launches by Company/Agency
Top 6 Providers
| Company/Agency | Successes | Failures | Total | Payloads Orbited |
Payloads Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceX (USA) | 73 | 1 | 74 | 2,000 | 12* |
| China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) | 33 | 0 | 33 | 113 | 0 |
| Roscosmos (Russia) | 10 | 0 | 10 | 55 | 0 |
| Rocket Lab (USA) | 7 | 1 | 8 | 19 | 1 |
| Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) | 7 | 0 | 7 | 51 | 0 |
| Galactic Energy (China) | 5 | 1 | 6 | 19 | 1 |
| Top Providers | 135 | 3 | 138 | 2,257 | 14 |
| Total, All Providers | 159 | 10 | 169 | 2,337 | 32 |
Source: Wikipedia
Russia is in third place with 13 launches. No other country has cracked double digits yet, with just 2.5 months left in 2023.
The Falcon 9/Heavy rocket family has launched 73 times without a failure. SpaceX’s Starship fell short of orbit on its maiden flight in April. China’s Long March 2C and Long March 2D rockets have launched a combined 16 times.
Launches by Booster
Top 6 Vehicles
| Launch Vehicle | Company/Agency | Successes | Failures | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcon 9/Heavy | SpaceX | 73 | 0 | 73 |
| Long March 2C, 2D | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Soyuz-2.1a, 2.1b | Roscosmos, Russia Strategic Rocket Forces | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Electron | Rocket Lab | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Long March 4C | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Top Launch Vehicles | 112 | 1 | 113 | |
| Total, All Boosters | 159 | 10 | 169 |
Florida remains the busiest launch site in the world, with 56 flights between Cape Canaveral and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Vandenberg is in second place among American spaceports with 22 launches.
Launches by Spaceport
Top 5 Launch Sites
| Launch Site | Successes | Failures | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Canaveral (USA) | 44 | 1 | 45 |
| Jiuquan (China) | 25 | 1 | 26 |
| Vandenberg (USA) | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Kennedy (USA) | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Xichang (China) | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Top Launch Sites | 111 | 2 | 113 |
| Total, All Launch Sites | 159 | 10 | 169 |
China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center is in second place globally, having hosted 26 launches.
