Weekly Dose of Space (8/3-14/3)

Welcome back to Weekly Dose of Space! This week saw seven rockets flying into orbit worldwide, with the Chinese vehicles returning after a month's pause. News of the week had CAS Space saying they're ready to launch Kinetica-2, while the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission has progressed to its next development stage. As always, we'll also look ahead to what the worldwide launch schedule might look like next week.

Launches This Week

March 8th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-18

A Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E, in California, bringing twenty-five Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. Supporting this mission was booster B1097, flying for the seventh time and landing on the drone ship 'Of Course I still Love You' downrange.

March 10th - Falcon 9 with EchoStar XXV

Falcon 9 flew towards a geosynchronous transfer orbit off of Space Launch Complex 40, in Florida, carrying the EchoStar XXV broadcasting satellite on behalf of DISH Network. Booste B1085 supported this mission for its fifteenth flight, landing on downrange on the drone ship 'A Shortfall Of Gravitas'.

March 12th - Alpha for 'Stariway To Seven'

Firefly Aerospace returned its Alpha rocket to flight with a launch out of Space Launch Complex 2W, in California, toward a retrograde low Earth orbit. This flight primarily tested upgrades to the rocket, but a payload for Lockheed Martin was stated to have been carried after launch.

March 12th - Long March 8A with GuoWang Group 20

Out of the Wenchang Commercial Space Launch Site, a Long March 8A flew into low Earth orbit, carrying nine more satellites for the GuoWang connectivity mega-constellation. This launch brought the constellation up to 163 satellites in space, with 27 out of 310 spacecraft planned to be deployed this year.

March 12th - Long March 2D with Shiyan-30-03 and Shiyan-30-04

A Long March 2D lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, carrying Shiyan-30-03 and Shiyan-30-04 into low Earth orbit. The two satellites are designed to test and verify new Earth observation technologies.

March 13th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-31

Another twenty-five Starlink satellites were delivered to low Earth orbit by a Falcon 9 out of Space Launch Complex 4E. Supporting this launch was booster B1071 for its thirty-second flight, landing on the drone ship 'Of Course I Still Love You' downrange.

March 14th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 10-48

Twenty-nine Starlink satellites were launched atop of a Falcon 9 and into low Earth orbit, from Space Launch Complex 40. Booster B1095 supported this launch, flying for the sixth time and landing downrange on the drone ship 'Just Read The Instructions'.

In Other Space News

Tianwen-3 Mars sample mission leaves prototyping phase

Toward the end of China's major annual political meetings, Liu Jizhong, Chief Designer of the Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission, told the media present that the country's effort to collect surface samples from the red planet is progressing well, recently leaving the prototype development phase.

Development so far has been primarily focused on surface sample collection and storage, launching in Martian gravity, and sample storage transfer in orbit between spacecraft. The next phase of development will see the production of two spacecraft to gather and return samples to Earth, those being the Mars lander-ascent vehicle combination and the Mars orbiter-Earth return spacecraft.

At the moment, the mission is on track for a start in 2028, with two launches atop of the Long March 5. Three years after launch, in 2031, Mars surface samples should be returned to Earth for the first time ever.

Tri-core Kinetica-2 ready for launch

China in Space reports that Chinese launch company CAS Space is close to launching its tri-core Kinetica-2 launch vehicle for the first time. A launch window for the first launch was stated to be 'soon' and out of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

The first flight of Kinetica-2 is set to carry a prototype version of the Qingzhou cargo spacecraft, designed to affordably resupply the Tiangong Space Station, from the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Qingzhou will be placed into low Earth orbit for a free-flying mission to demonstrate key systems in a low-risk environment.

What to Expect Next Week

March 15th - Long March 6A with a to-be-annouced payload

From the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, a Long March 6A is set to launch into a retrograde low Earth orbit, expected to be carrying a Yaogan remote sensing satellite.

March 16th - Kuaizhou-1A with an unknown payload

ExPace's Kuaizhou-1A may liftoff from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, placing some currently unknown satellite into sun-synchronous orbit.

March 17th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-24

Off of Space Launch Complex 4E, a Falcon 9 is set to place a batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.

March 17th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 10-46

Another batch of Starlink satellites is being prepared to head into low Earth orbit by a Falcon 9 out of Space Launch Complex 40.

March 19th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 10-33

Even more Starlink satellites are set to be placed into low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 atop of a Falcon 9.

March 19th - Electron for 'Eight Days A Week'

From the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand, Rocket Lab's Electron rocket is being prepared to fly into low Earth orbit to deliver an Earth observation satellite for Synspective.

March 19th - Spectrum for 'Onward and Upward'

Isar Aerospace is preparing to fly from Andøya Spaceport in Norway for its second demonstration flight, following its failed first in March 2025.

March 20th - Falcon 9 with Starlink Group 17-15

Falcon 9 will launch from Space Launch Complex 4E again, carrying a batch of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.