This week we have several launches coming up from around the world. SpaceX has several mission coming up and Roscosmos even has one planned for Christmas Day. We won't be seeing any manned missions this week, but the launch of the Thuraya-4 NGS communications satellite will be interesting to watch.
Sunday, 22 December Who: SpaceX What: Falcon 9 When: 05:00 - 07:39 UTC Where: Florida, US Why: SpaceX will use a Falcon 9 to launch four Block 2 MicroGEO satellites into orbit for Astranis Space. Each satellite carries unique names, including UtilitySat, NuView A, NuView B, and Agila. Following the launch, SpaceX will very likely attempt to launch the first stage of the Falcon 9. Monday, 23 December Who: SpaceX What: Falcon 9 When: 05:00 - 09:00 UTC Where: Florida, US Why: SpaceX will use one of its Falcon 9 rockets to launch 23 Starlink satellites into a low Earth orbit. The group is designated as Starlink Group 12-2. Of this group, 13 of the satellites are direct-to-cell satellites. Following the launch, SpaceX will try to land the first stage of the Falcon 9. Wednesday, 25 December Who: Roscosmos What: Soyuz-2.1b When: 07:45 UTC Where: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan Why: On Christmas Day, Roscosmos will launch a Soyuz-2.1b rocket carrying the Resurs-P 5 Earth observation satellite. The satellite will be utilized by Russia's Ministries of Agriculture and Fishing, Meteorology, Transportation, Emergencies, Natural Resources and Defence. Friday, 27 December Who: SpaceX What: Falcon 9 When: 05:00 UTC Where: Florida, US Why: SpaceX will use a Falcon 9 to launch the Thuraya-4 NGS communications satellite into a geosyncronous orbit. The satellite was built by Airbus Defense and Space for Yahsat, based in the UAE. Following the launch, SpaceX will try to land the first stage of the Falcon 9. Recap The first launch we got last week was a Falcon 9 from SpaceX carrying the RRT-1 mission. RRT-1 is short for Rapid Response Trailblazer-1 and it was a US national security mission. Following the launch, the first stage of the rocket landed on a droneship. Next up, another SpaceX Falcon 9 was used to launch the NROL-149 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. It was a classified mission so it's not known for sure what was being launched. After the launch, the first stage of the Falcon 9 landed on a droneship. In its third mission of the week, SpaceX launched some satellites for the Luxembourgish company SES. The SES O3b mPOWER satellites will be used for to provide communications services. After the launch, the first stage of the Falcon 9 landed on a droneship. Finally, Space One's KAIROS rocket experienced an anomoly, making for an interesting watch.
That's it for this week! Check back next week for more launches!