Weekly Dose of Space (3/5-9/5)

Welcome back to Weekly Dose of Space! Last week saw just two launches taking place, with both occurring from the same launch pad. News of the week had the Artemis Accord gaining another three signatories, and Starship-Super Heavy preparing to fly once again. As always, we'll also look ahead to what the worldwide launch schedule might look like next week.

May 3rd - Falcon 9 with CAS500 and forty-four rideshare satellites

From Space Launch Complex 4E, in California, Falcon 9 flew into sun-synchronous orbit carrying South Korea's CAS500 dual spacecraft Earth observation spacecraft, as well as forty-four small rideshare satellites from KAI, Argotec S.r.l, Exolaunch, Impulso.Space, Loft-EarthDaily, Lynk, True Anomaly, and Planet Labs. Supporting this launch was booster B1071, flying for the thirty-third time and touching down back in California at Landing Zone 4.

May 6th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-29

Twenty-four Starlink satellites were delivered into low Earth orbit by a Falcon 8 flying off of Space Launch Complex 4E. Booster B1081 supported this mission for its twenty-fourth flight, landing downrange on the drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You'.

In Other Space News

SpaceX prepares to fly first 'Block 3' Starship-Super Heavy

Full duration and full thrust 33-engine static fire with Super Heavy V3 pic.twitter.com/vUJTqoHEZy

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 7, 2026

Many months behind schedule of SpaceX's executive leadership, the in-development fully-reusable Starship-Super Heavy launch vehicle is close to flying its twelfth flight test, the first with the upgraded 'Block 3' system.

In recent days, Super Heavy Booster 19 has performed a thirty-three-engine, fourteen-second static fire on Starbase's second launch pad to verify the set of 'Raptor 3' engines. Not long after, Ship 39 was brought to the pad and placed atop Booster 19 ahead of a wet dress rehearsal of a launch attempt.

So far this year, Booster 19 and Ship 39 have completed other verification tests of their systems and new engines. Booster 19 has also assisted in the commissioning of the second launch pad through propellant loading and smaller static fires.

At present, hazard notices are pointing towards the flight test occurring on May 15th and as early as 22:30 pm Universal Coordinated Time.

Malta, Ireland, Paraguay sign Artemis Accords

During the week, another three nations signed the U.S.-led non-binding Artemis Accords to bring the bloc up to sixty-seven nations, now just over a third of member states of the United Nations.

First, to become the sixty-fifth signatory, Malta signed via Clifton Grima, its Minister for Education, Youth, Sports, Research and Innovation, at an event in the village of Kalkara in the small island nation. After signing, Grima shared:

"Malta is taking a deliberate step to position itself within a high-value, innovation-driven global sector. This initiative strengthens our governance framework, enhances Malta’s international credibility and creates new opportunities to attract investment, build expertise and generate quality employment within the space economy."

Not long after, the sixty-sixth signatory was Ireland at an event at NASA's Headquarters in Washington D.C., during a visit by Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, who signed on behalf of his country. During the visit, Burke shared:

"From an island shaped by the sea, whose people have always looked beyond the horizon and journeyed across the world, forging connections far beyond our shores, Ireland is proud to bring that same spirit to a new frontier and to join a global community committed to the peaceful exploration of space."

And as the latest signatory to date, Paraguay joined the accords at an event in its capital, Asunción. The nations signing was done by Minister President of the Paraguayan Space Agency Osvaldo Almirón, who stated the following not long after:

"The signing of the Artemis Accords represents a historic milestone for Paraguay and reflects our commitment to international cooperation, the peaceful use of outer space, scientific development, and the advancement of national space capabilities. This step strengthens Paraguay’s position within the global space community and opens new opportunities for research, innovation, and sustainable development."

In previous weeks, Latvia, Jordan, and Morocco also signed the accords.

What to Expect Next Week

May 11th - Long March 7 with Tianzhou-10

From the Wenchang Space Launch Site, a Long March 7 is preparing to launch into low Earth orbit with the Tianzhou-10 cargo resupply spacecraft, which will deliver 6,300 kilograms of consumables, experiments, and propellants to China's Tiangong Space Station.

May 11th - Falcon 9 with NROL-172

SpaceX will launch a batch of satellites into Earth orbit on behalf of the U.S. military from Space Launch Complex 4E atop of a Falcon 9.

May 12th - Long March 6A with a to-be-annouced payload

A Long March 6A will fly from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center and into a near-polar orbit, likely carrying connectivity constellation satellites.

May 13th - Falcon 9 with CRS-34

Off of Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida, a Falcon 9 will bring a Cargo Dragon V2 spacecraft into low Earth orbit and toward the International Space Station, to bring it new supplies.

May 13th - Zhuque-2E with a to-be-confirmed payloads

LandSpace is going to launch another Zhuque-2E from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, featuring new upgrades to the launch vehicle with customer payloads being sent into near-polar orbit.

May 15th - Kinetica-1 with to-be-shared satellites

CAS Space is once again going to fly Kinetica-1 towards sun-synchronous orbit to deliver several customer satellites from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

May 15th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-37

A batch of Starlink satellites are set to be delivered to low Earth orbit via a Falcon 9 flying out of Space Launch Complex 4E.

May 15th - Starship-Super Heavy for its twelfth flight test

SpaceX is preparing to perform Starship-Super Heavy's twelfth flight test from its second launch pad in Starbase, Texas, with Ship 39 and Booster 19 possibly splahsing down after launch.