Soyuz Meridian M1579845600 (24-Jan-2020 06:00)
[Jan. 24 / Approx. 1100 GMT (6 a.m. EST)]
[map] Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia
[*] [vidz] A Russian government Soyuz rocket with a Fregat upper stage will launch a Meridian M communications satellite for the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Soyuz rocket will fly in the Soyuz-2.1a configuration. [Jan. 21] [#]
Falcon 9 Starlink 31579863240 (24-Jan-2020 10:54)
[Jan. 24 / 1554 GMT (10:54 a.m. EST)]
[map] SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
[*] [vidz] A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to launch the fourth batch of approximately 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 3. Delayed from Jan. 20 and Jan. 21. [Jan. 21] [#]
H-2A IGS Optical 7
1579982400 (25-Jan-2020 20:00)
[Jan. 26/27 / 0100-0300 GMT on 27th (8:00-10:00 p.m. EST on 26th)]
[map] Tanegashima Space Center, Japan
A Japanese H-2A rocket will launch an Information Gathering Satellite with an optical reconnaissance payload for the Japanese government. [Dec. 17]
Electron NROL-151
1580324400 (29-Jan-2020 19:00)
[Jan. 30/31 / 0000-0400 GMT on 31st (7:00-11:00 p.m. EST on 30th)]
[map] Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched on its 11th flight from a facility on the Mahia Peninsula on New Zealands North Island. The Electron rocket and its Curie upper stage will place an undisclosed payload into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office, the U.S. government spy satellite agency. The mission is officially designated NROL-151, and Rocket Lab has nicknamed the launch “Birds of a Feather.” [Jan. 21]
Atlas 5 Solar Orbiter1580858820 (04-Feb-2020 23:27)
[Feb. 5/6 / 0427-0627 GMT on 6th (11:27 p.m.-1:27 a.m. EST on 5th/6th)]
[map] SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
[*] [vidz] A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-087, will launch the Solar Orbiter spacecraft for NASA and the European Space Agency. Built by Airbus Defense and Space, Solar Orbiter, or SolO, will travel inside the orbit of Mercury to study how the sun creates and controls the heliosphere, the vast bubble of charged particles blown by the solar wind into the interstellar medium. The rocket will fly in the 411 vehicle configuration with a four-meter fairing, one solid rocket booster and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. [Nov. 19] [#]
Soyuz OneWeb 21581033600 (07-Feb-2020 00:00)
[Feb. 7 / TBD]
[map] Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
[*] [vidz] A Russian Soyuz rocket will launch approximately 32 satellites into orbit for OneWeb, which is developing a constellation of hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit for low-latency broadband communications. The Soyuz-2.1b rocket will use a Fregat upper stage. Delayed from Nov. 20, Dec. 19, Jan. 23 and Jan. 30. [Dec. 30] [#]
Antares NG-131581269940 (09-Feb-2020 17:39)
[Feb. 9 / 2239 GMT (5:39 p.m. EST)]
[map] Pad 0A, Wallops Island, Virginia
[*] [vidz] A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket will launch the 14th Cygnus cargo freighter on the 13th operational cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station. The mission is known as NG-13. The rocket will fly in the Antares 230 configuration, with two RD-181 first stage engines and a Castor 30XL second stage. Moved forward from April 20. Delayed from Feb. 7. [Jan. 10] [#]
Ariane 5 JCSAT 17 & GEO-Kompsat 2B1582046040 (18-Feb-2020 17:14)
[Feb. 18 / 2214 GMT (5:14 p.m. EST)]
[map] ELA-3, Kourou, French Guiana
[*] [vidz] Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA252, to launch the Japanese-owned JCSAT 17 communications satellite and the South Korean GEO-Kompsat 2B oceanography satellite. Built by Lockheed Martin, the JCSAT 17 satellite will provide high-power video, broadband and mobile communications services over Japan and neighboring regions for Sky Perfect JSAT Corp. of Tokyo. The GEO-Kompsat 2B spacecraft, built and owned by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, will provide ocean and environmental monitoring services for weather forecasters and scientists from geosynchronous orbit. [Jan. 21] [#]
Falcon 9 SpaceX CRS 201583020800 (01-Mar-2020 00:00)
[March 1 / TBD]
[map] Cape Canaveral, Florida
[*] [vidz] A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 22nd Dragon spacecraft mission on its 20th operational cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station. The flight is being conducted under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. Delayed from Oct. 15. [June 4] [#]
Soyuz Falcon Eye 21583440380 (05-Mar-2020 20:33)
[March 6 / 0133 GMT on 6th (8:33 p.m. EST)]
[map] ELS, Sinnamary, French Guiana
[*] [vidz] An Arianespace Soyuz rocket, designated VS24, will launch on a mission from the Guiana Space Center in South America. The Soyuz will carry the Falcon Eye 2 high-resolution Earth-imaging satellite for the United Arab Emirates. Built by Airbus Defense and Space with an optical imaging payload from Thales Alenia Space, Falcon Eye 2 is the second of two surveillance satellites ordered by the UAE’s military. The Soyuz 2-1a (Soyuz ST-A) rocket will use a Fregat upper stage. Delayed from Oct. 15 and November. Switched from a Vega launcher after the launch failure with the Falcon Eye 1 spacecraft. [Jan. 10] [#]
Vega SSMS POC1584662400 (20-Mar-2020 00:00)
[March 20 / TBD]
[map] ZLV, Kourou, French Guiana
[*] [vidz] An Arianespace Vega rocket, designated VV16, will launch on the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) Proof of Concept mission with 42 microsatellites, nanosatellites and CubeSats for commercial and institutional customers. This rideshare launch is the first flight of a multi-payload dispenser funded by the European Space Agency to allow the Vega rocket to deliver numerous small satellites to orbit on a single mission. Delayed from August, Sept. 10 and February. [Jan. 10] [#]
Proton Express 80 & Express 1031585526400 (30-Mar-2020 00:00)
[March 30 / TBD]
[map] Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
[*] [vidz] A Russian government Proton rocket and Block DM upper stage will launch the Express 80 and Express 103 communications satellites for the Russian Satellite Communication Company. Express 80 and Express 103 will provode fixed and mobile communications, digital television and radio broadcasting, high-speed Internet access and data transmission services across Russia. The satellites are built by ISS Reshetnev in Russia, with communication payloads supplied by Thales Alenia Space from Europe. [Dec. 30] [#]
Soyuz ISS 62S1586390400 (09-Apr-2020 00:00)
[April 9 / TBD]
[map] Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
[*] [vidz] A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the crewed Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft to the International Space Station with members of the next Expedition crew. The capsule will remain at the station for about six months, providing an escape pod for the residents. The rocket will fly in the Soyuz-2.1a configuration. Delayed from March 20. [Dec. 30] [#]
Soyuz Progress 75P1587772800 (25-Apr-2020 00:00)
[April 25 / TBD]
[map] Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
[*] [vidz] A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the 75th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station. Delayed from April 16. [Dec. 30] [#]
Atlas 5 Mars 20201594972800 (17-Jul-2020 08:00)
[July 17 / 1300-1440 GMT (9:00-10:40 a.m. EDT)]
[map] SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
[*] [vidz] A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch NASA’s Mars 2020 rover to the Red Planet. After landing in February 2021, the Mars 2020 rover will study Martian geology, search for organic compounds, demonstrate the ability to generate oxygen from atmospheric carbon dioxide, and collect rock samples for return to Earth by a future mission. The rocket will fly in the 541 vehicle configuration with a five-meter fairing, four solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. [Aug. 12] [#]
Soyuz Progress 76P1595462400 (23-Jul-2020 00:00)
[July 23 / TBD]
[map] Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
[*] [vidz] A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the 76th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station. Delayed from July 15. [Dec. 30] [#]
Proton ExoMars 20201595721600 (26-Jul-2020 00:00)
[July 26 / TBD]
[map] Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
[*] [vidz] A Russian government Proton rocket and Breeze M upper stage will launch the ExoMars 2020 mission, a joint project between the European Space Agency and Roscosmos. ExoMars 2020 will launch toward Mars with a stationary landing craft, provided by Russia, and a European-built rover that will study the habitability of Mars and drill into the red planet’s soil to search for biosignatures from past life. [Dec. 30] [#]
Falcon 9 SpaceX CRS 211596585600 (05-Aug-2020 00:00)
[Aug. 5 / TBD]
[map] Cape Canaveral, Florida
[*] [vidz] A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon 2 spacecraft on its first cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The flight is the 21st mission by SpaceX conducted under the Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. [Dec. 12] [#]
Soyuz ISS 63S1602633600 (14-Oct-2020 00:00)
[Oct. 14 / TBD]
[map] Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
[*] [vidz] A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the crewed Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft to the International Space Station with members of the next Expedition crew. The capsule will remain at the station for about six months, providing an escape pod for the residents. The rocket will fly in the Soyuz-2.1a configuration. [Dec. 30] [#]
Vega C LARES 21609372800 (31-Dec-2020 00:00)
[Mid-2020 / TBD]
[map] ZLV, Kourou, French Guiana
[*] [vidz] An Arianespace Vega C rocket will launch the LARES 2 satellite for ASI, the Italian space agency. The spherical LARES 2 satellite is covered in laser mirrors to enable precise tracking from the ground, enabling research into geoodynamics and general relativity. This will mark the inaugural flight of Europe’s new Vega C rocket, featuring a more powerful first stage motor, an enlarged second stage, an improved liquid-fueled upper stage, and a new payload fairing design. [Dec. 30] [#]