Week of Multiple Rocket Launches Highlights Global Space Exploration Efforts

This week is packed with space activity, featuring a total of seven launches across five different rockets from various locations worldwide. Among the highlights, SpaceX will set its Falcon 9 rocket into motion for three distinct missions, while a Russian Soyuz rocket is set to transport three crew members to the International Space Station (ISS) from Kazakhstan.

Kicking off the schedule, an Angara 1.2 rocket launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia at 13:00 UTC on Tuesday, November 25. This mission saw the deployment of a military payload into low-Earth orbit on a northeastern trajectory, marking the seventh flight of this particular rocket within the current year.

On Wednesday, November 26, South Korea’s KSLV-2 rocket is on track to launch from the Naro Space Center at 15:54 UTC. The mission will carry the Compact Advanced Satellite 500-3 (CAS500-3) into a sun-synchronous orbit along with 12 cubesats, resulting in a total payload mass around 500 kg. The KSLV-2, also known as “Nuri,” is a three-stage rocket developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and stands at 47.5 meters tall, 3.5 meters wide.

Later in the day, the Falcon 9 will take off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:18 AM PST (18:18 UTC) as part of the Transporter 15 rideshare mission. This flight will place various satellites into sun-synchronous orbit, and significant among the payloads is Impulse Space’s LEO Express 3, an upgraded spacecraft version. The Falcon 9 rocket, a proven workhorse, will see its booster B1071 reach its milestone 30th flight, making it the second Falcon booster to reach this mark.

On Thursday, November 27, a Soyuz 2.1a rocket will launch the Soyuz MS-28 mission to the ISS from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 09:27 UTC. The crew will consist of two Russian cosmonauts from Roscosmos, Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, alongside NASA astronaut Christopher Williams, with the spacecraft set to dock with the ISS after a 24-hour journey.

The weekend will see two additional Falcon 9 missions, beginning with a Starlink launch on Sunday, November 30, at 6:59 PM PST (02:59 UTC). This flight will mark the 20th mission for booster B1081 and will transport a batch of 29 Starlink satellites into a low-Earth orbit.

Concluding the busy week, the Vega C rocket is scheduled to launch the KOMPSAT-7 satellite on the same day from French Guiana at 17:21 UTC. This satellite will operate on behalf of the Korea Aerospace Administration and is designed to enhance Earth observation capabilities.

Overall, this week promises to be a significant one for global space exploration, underscoring the ongoing commitment of multiple nations and companies to advancing satellite technology and crewed space missions.