SpaceX and China complete launches
Since my last launch report yesterday there have been two more launches (with another planned for later today).
First, last night SpaceX launched another 21 Starlink satellites into orbit, its Falcon 9 rocket — using a new first stage — lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The first stage successfully landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic. This new stage shows that SpaceX appears building about one to two new first stages per year in order to maintain its fleet.
Next, China placed two classified remote sensing satellites into orbit, its Long March 2C rocket lifting off from its Jiuquan spaceport in the northwest of China. No word on where the rocket’s first stage, which uses very toxic hypergolic fuel, crashed inside China.
Another launch is expected later this afternoon, by Russia, launching a new Progress freighter to ISS.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
25 SpaceX
9 China
2 Rocket Lab
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Since my last launch report yesterday there have been two more launches (with another planned for later today).
First, last night SpaceX launched another 21 Starlink satellites into orbit, its Falcon 9 rocket — using a new first stage — lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The first stage successfully landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic. This new stage shows that SpaceX appears building about one to two new first stages per year in order to maintain its fleet.
Next, China placed two classified remote sensing satellites into orbit, its Long March 2C rocket lifting off from its Jiuquan spaceport in the northwest of China. No word on where the rocket’s first stage, which uses very toxic hypergolic fuel, crashed inside China.
Another launch is expected later this afternoon, by Russia, launching a new Progress freighter to ISS.
The leaders in the 2025 launch race:
25 SpaceX
9 China
2 Rocket Lab
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
I am disappointed in SpaceX. 2 months in, only 25 launches, that predicts out to about 150 launches this year, way short of their projected 180 launches.
Clearly SpaceX is a total failure. :)
Better to say it tongue in cheek before foolish people say it seriously.
Looking forward to Starship flight 8 sometime this coming week!
geoffc,
Heh.
Last year, SpaceX launched only 19 times in January and February – an annualized rate of 114 – yet still managed to notch 134 by year’s end. While this year’s 25 for its first two months annualizes to 150, applying a fudge factor based on the same proportionality as last year, SpaceX might reasonably expect to launch 173 times this year. Not 180 or even 175, but closer in both percentage and launch count terms than last year’s 134 vs. 144 – 150. March is a long month. It will be interesting to see what the 1Q 2025 launch total – and annualized rate – turn out to be.
Dick,
See what I mean, failure after failure from SpaceX. :) 173 is definitely not the 180 predicted. I mean, sure it is more than every other country put together for the last three years… I forget if that one total beats the highest for the entire planet from the height of the cold war but probably is close.
I had missed that they started slow last year as well.
I am curious if the 4th ASDS will arrive this year, since operations in Florida really seem dominated by towing speed. SLC-40 is being recycled MIGHTY fast, when there is an ASDS available.
And man LC-39A is a slow pad. They seem to launch all the pad queens from there…