Weekly Dose of Space (1/2-7/2)

Welcome back to Weekly Dose of Space! During the week, four rockets made it into orbit, with one failing to come back as planned. News this week has had the Artemis II mission moved to March and China preparing to test its Mengzhou capsule. As always, we'll also look ahead to what the worldwide launch schedule might look like next week.

Launches This Week

February 2nd - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-32

Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E, in California, carrying twenty-five Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. Booster B1071 supported this launch for its thirty-first flight, landing downrange on the drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You'.

Following the deployment of the Starlink satellites, Falcon 9's second-stage experienced an anomaly in-space, the fourth within two years, preventing it from performing its deorbit burn.

February 5th - Soyuz 2.1b with several Cosmos satellites

Out of the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, a Soyuz 2.1b flew into sun-synchronous orbit while carrying a handful of Cosmos satellites on behalf of the Russian military.

February 7th - Long March 2F/T with Reusable Experimental Spacecraft

A Long March 2F/T lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center and headed for low Earth orbit, while carrying China's Reusable Experimental Spacecraft. The spacecraft is expected to spend an extended period of time in orbit to perform experiments and technology testing.

February 7th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-33

Another twenty-five Starlink satellites were delivered to low Earth orbit by a Falcon 9, for its 'return-to-flight' mission from Space Launch Complex 4E. Supporting this mission was booster B1088, for its thirteenth flight and landing on the drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You' downrange.

In Other Space News

Artemis II mission expected for March

In the first days of February, NASA was attempting to perform a complete wet dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System rocket, with the Orion spacecraft, at Launch Complex 39B. During the almost two-day test, all systems were powered on and the rocket was fully fuelled up.

Near the end of the wet dress rehearsal, launch control teams chose to terminate the test due to a hydrogen leak between the base of the rocket and a tail service mast umbilical, said to be persistent throughout. With the termination, the fuel, liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, was slowly removed.

Due to the termination of the test ahead of its completion, NASA is opting to forego the few remaining launch opportunities in February. Insteaed the space agency will thoroughly analyze all data collected during it and choose one best suited to the Artemis II mission in March.

China prepares to test Mengzhou capsule

At the Wenchang Space Launch Site, teams from the China Manned Space Agency and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology are preparing to conduct an in-flight abort test of the Mengzhou capsule, set to carry taikonauts to Earth and lunar orbit. That test is currently expected to take place no earlier than February 11th.

For the in-flight abort test, the capsule will be flown off of Launch Complex 301 via the Long March 10A test booster, gaining speed until it reaches the point of maximum aerodynamic stress. Once at the point, Mengzhou's launch escape systems will be triggered to simulate a real abort, carrying it away from the test booster. If the escape goes as planned, the capsule will splash down off the coast of Hainan Province.

While the capsule is performing its abort test, the Long March 10A test booster will be performing a recovery test to further the development of the five-meter-diameter Long March 10 series of reusable launch vehicles. The recovery test of the booster will be guided by four grid fins during descent, before a landing burn is commenced, and four hooks deploy for a potential catch via tensioned wires on the ship 'Linghangzhe'.

What to Expect Next Week

February 11th - Jielong-3 with a to-be-annouced payload

A Jielong-3 is expected to liftoff from a sea-launch platform in the South China Sea, carrying a handful of unknown payloads, with one said to be from Pakistan.

February 11th - Falcon 9 with Crew-12

The Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station is set to launch atop of a Falcon 9 from Space Launch Complex 40, carrying NASA's Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, as well as ESA's Sophie Adenot and Russia's Andrey Fedyaev.

February 11th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-34

Falcon 9 is set to fly again with a batch of Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 4E and into low Earth orbit.

February 12th - Vulcan for USSF-87

United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket is preparing to fly from Space Launch Complex 41, in Florida, and head toward geostationary space with a handful of U.S. military payloads.

February 12th - Proton with Elektro-L No.5

A Proton rocket is set to fly towards geostationary space with the Elektro-L No.5 weather satellite from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

February 12th - Ariane 64 with LE-01

Arianespace's Ariane 6 rocket is set to fly with four boosters for the first time to place thirty-two Amazon Leo satellites into low Earth orbit, in a mission dubbed 'Leo Europe 01'.

February 14th - Alpha for 'Stairway To Seven'

Firefly Aerospace's Alpha is expected to fly for the seventh time out of the Vandenberg Space Force Base, in California, to verify upgrades to the vehicle while being a return to flight mission.