Launch Schedule

Arianespace will use an Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA253, to launch the Galaxy 30 communications satellite, the second Mission Extension Vehicle satellite servicing spacecraft, and the BSat 4b broadcasting payload. Galaxy 30 is owned by Intelsat, and will provide video and television broadcast services over the United States. Galaxy 30 also hosts a navigation augmentation payload for the Federal Aviation Administration to support civilian air travel. MEV 2 is the second robotic servicing vehicle for Space Logistics LLC, and will dock with the Intelsat 1002 communications satellite in geostationary orbit to extend its commercial life. BSat 4b will provide direct-to-home 4K and 8K ultra HD broadcast services over Japan and neighboring regions for the Japanese operator B-SAT. Galaxy 30 and MEV 2 were built by Northrop Grumman, and BSat 4b was manufactured by Maxar. Delayed from July 28 to perform additional checks under the fairing. Scrubbed on July 31 by liquid hydrogen tank sensor issue. [Aug. 4]

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 58 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 10. Three SkySat Earth-imaging satellites for Planet will launch as rideshare payloads on this mission. Delayed from late July. [Aug. 11]

A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch a Glonass K navigation satellite. The Glonass K satellites are upgraded spacecraft for Russia’s Glonass positioning and timing network. The rocket will fly in the Soyuz-2.1b configuration with a Fregat upper stage. Delayed from Aug. 6. [Aug. 4]

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch a classified spy satellite cargo for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The largest of the Delta 4 family, the Heavy version features three Common Booster Cores mounted together to form a triple-body rocket. Delayed from June. [Aug. 11]

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the SAOCOM 1B satellite for CONAE, Argentina’s space agency. SAOCOM 1B is the second of two SAOCOM 1-series Earth observation satellites designed to provide radar imagery to help emergency responders and monitor the environment, including the collection of soil moisture measurements. Delayed from 4th Quarter of 2019, January and February. This mission was originally scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Delayed from March 30 due to coronavirus pandemic. [July 24]

A commercial small satellite launch vehicle developed by Astra will make its first orbital launch attempt. Astra says there will be no payloads on this test flight. Scrubbed on Aug. 2 due to upper level winds and boat in range. Scrubbed on Aug. 4 and Aug. 6. [Aug. 7]

An Arianespace Vega rocket, designated VV16, will launch on the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS) Proof of Concept mission with around 50 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. Delayed from March 23 due to coronavirus outbreak. Delayed from June 18 due to unfavorable high-altitude winds. Scrubbed on June 27 and June 28 by high-altitude winds. Delayed from Aug. 17. [Aug. 11]

India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk. 2 (GSLV Mk.2), designated GSLV-F10, will launch India’s first GEO Imaging Satellite, or GISAT 1. The GISAT 1 spacecraft will provide continuous remote sensing observations over the Indian subcontinent from geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) above Earth. Delayed from Jan. 15, February and March 5. [March 13]

India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) will launch on its first orbital test flight. Consisting of three solid-fueled stages and a liquid-fueled upper stage, the SSLV is a new Indian launch vehicle designed to carry small satellites into low Earth orbit. Delayed from September, December and January. [Jan. 25]

India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), designated PSLV-C49, will launch the RISAT 2BR2 radar Earth observation satellite for the Indian Space Research Organization. The PSLV will also launch four Kleos Scouting Mission radio surveillance nanosatellites for Kleos Space, a Luxembourg-based company, and multiple Lemur 2 CubeSats for Spire Global. The mission will likely use the “Core Alone” version of the PSLV with no strap-on solid rocket boosters. Delayed from December. [Feb. 11]

India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) will launch on its first commercial mission with four Earth observation satellites for BlackSky Global, a Seattle-based company. The rideshare mission for BlackSky is being arranged by Spaceflight. Delayed from November, late 2019 and early 2020. [Jan. 25]

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will launch on its first mission from a new launch pad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia. The launch customer is the U.S. Air Force, and the mission will launch an experimental mission for the Space Test Program called Monolith with a space weather instrument. The Monolith mission will demonstrate the ability of a small satellite to support large aperture payloads. Delayed from 2nd Quarter of 2019. Delayed from August 2020. [Aug. 4]

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 12th batch of approximately 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 11. Delayed from August. [Aug. 11]

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the 13th batch of approximately 60 satellites for SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, a mission designated Starlink 12. [Aug. 11]

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on its first operational flight with astronauts on-board to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker, and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi will launch on the Crew Dragon spacecraft. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea. [July 22]

An Arianespace Vega rocket, designated VV17, will launch the SEOSat-Ingenio Earth observation satellite and the Taranis scientific research satellite for Spanish and French customers. The SEOSat-Ingenio Earth-imaging satellite is managed by the Spanish Center for Development of Industry Technology, an arm of the Spanish government, in partnership with the European Space Agency. Airbus Defense and Space built the SEOSat-Ingenio spacecraft. The Taranis spacecraft, developed by the French space agency CNES, will study the transfers of energy between the Earth atmosphere and the space environment occurring above thunderstorms. Delayed from June by coronavirus concerns. Delayed from Aug. 25 in ripple effect from Vega/SSMS POC delays. [June 18]

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the SXM 7 satellite for SiriusXM. The satellite will replace the XM 3 satellite in SiriusXM’s fleet providing satellite radio programming to consumers across North America. SXM 7 was built by Maxar Technologies, and features a large unfurlable S-band reflector to broadcast radio signals to users on the ground. Delayed from Aug. 1. [June 18]

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. Delayed from March 6 and April 14. [May 9]

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch a classified spacecraft payload for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The rocket will fly in the 531 vehicle configuration with a five-meter fairing, three solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. The mission was changed from an earlier planned “551” configuration. This will be the first launch of an Atlas 5 rocket with new Northrop Grumman-built GEM-63 solid rocket motors, replacing the Aerojet Rocketdyne AJ-60A solid rocket motors used on previous Atlas 5s. [Jan. 21]

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket will launch the 15th Cygnus cargo freighter on the 14th operational cargo delivery flight to the International Space Station. The mission is known as NG-14. 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 October. Delayed from Aug. 31 and Sept. 7. Moved forward from Oct. 2. [Aug. 11]

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the U.S. Air Force’s fourth third-generation navigation satellite for the Global Positioning System. The satellite is built by Lockheed Martin. Delayed from October, December, May, July and August. [June 18]

A Virgin Orbit LauncherOne rocket will launch on its second flight after dropping from a modified Boeing 747 carrier jet. The flight will be conducted under contract to NASA’s Venture Class Launch Services Program, carrying 14 CubeSats to orbit for NASA field centers, U.S. educational institutions and laboratories on the ELaNa-20 rideshare mission. Delayed from Aug. 1, Sept. 1, November, Dec. 1, mid-February, July 1 and Aug. 14. [July 22]

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket, designated AV-082, will launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on second unpiloted test flight to the International Space Station. This mission was added after Boeing’s decision to refly the Starliner’s Orbital Flight Test before proceeding with the Crew Flight Test. The rocket will fly in a vehicle configuration with two solid rocket boosters and a dual-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from 3rd Quarter. [June 18]

A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket will launch a classified spy satellite cargo for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. The largest of the Delta 4 family, the Heavy version features three Common Booster Cores mounted together to form a triple-body rocket. Delayed from September. [Jan. 13]

An Arianespace Soyuz rocket, designated VS25, will launch on a mission from the Guiana Space Center in South America. The Soyuz will carry into polar orbit the second Composante Spatiale Optique military reconnaissance satellite for CNES and DGA, the French defense procurement agency. The CSO 2 satellite is the second of three new-generation high-resolution optical imaging satellites for the French military, replacing the Helios 2 spy satellite series. The Soyuz-2.1b (Soyuz ST-B) rocket will use a Fregat upper stage. Delayed from April 10 in ripple effect from Falcon Eye 2’s launch delay. [May 9]

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]

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Turksat 5A communications satellite for Turksat, a Turkish satellite operator. Built by Airbus Defense and Space with significant Turkish contributions, the Turkish 5A satellite will provide Ku-band television broadcast services over Turkey, the Middle East, Europe and Africa. [June 5]

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. Delayed from Aug. 5. [March 5]