Launch Roundup: Worldwide launch manifest quiet as 2026 begins

Date:
Tue, 30 Dec 2025 23:28:19 +0000

Description:
As 2025 turns to 2026, the worldwide launch manifest is quieting down, with only four The post Launch Roundup: Worldwide launch manifest quiet as 2026 begins appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================

As 2025 turns to 2026, the worldwide launch manifest is quieting down, with only four launches scheduled for the upcoming week. Of these, two are Chinese missions, and two are SpaceX Falcon 9 missions, with Falcon 9 scheduled to launch the CSG-3 satellite and a batch of Starlink satellites.



Chang Zheng 4B | Tianhui 7

The Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) launched a Chang Zheng 4B (CZ-4B) on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 04:12 UTC. The CZ-4B, carrying the Tianhui 7 satellite, launched from Site 94 at the Jiuquan Satellite
Launch Center on a southern trajectory. The Tianhui 7 satellite is expected
to be used for cartography purposes, but details are unclear.

The CZ-4B was first launched in 1999 and has completed 56 missions to date, with only one failure. All three stages of the rocket utilize highly toxic
but easily storable hypergolic propellants. The first stage features four YF-21C engines, the second stage uses a single YF-24C engine, and the third stage has two YF-40 engines.

This mission marked the fourth CZ-4B mission of 2025.



Chang Zheng 7A | Unknown Payload

The final Chinese launch of 2025 is scheduled to liftoff at 22:40 UTC on Tuesday, Dec. 30, from Launch Complex 201 (LC-201) at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China. A Chang Zheng 7A (CZ-7A) will launch an unknown payload on an easterly trajectory out of Wenchang.

The CZ-7A is a three-stage medium- to heavy-lift launch vehicle that first flew in March 2020. Four liquid-fuelled strap-on boosters, each with a single YF-100 engine, are attached to the first stage, which utilizes two YF-100 engines. The second stage features four YF-115 engines, and the third stage features two YF-75 engines. The boosters, first stage, and second stages all use liquid kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX), while the third stage
uses liquid hydrogen (LH2) and LOX.

This mission will mark the 14th overall CZ-7A mission and sixth of 2025.

Falcon 9 | CSG-3

The final SpaceX and Falcon 9 mission of the year, CSG-3, will launch on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 6:09 PM PST (02:09 UTC on Thursday, Jan. 1) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Flying due south out of Vandenberg, Falcon 9 will fly the 2,230
kg CSG-3 satellite to SSO. Artist concept of a CSG satellite in orbit. (Credit: ESA)

The Constellation of Small Satellites for Mediterranean Basin Observation (COSMO) SkyMed Second Generation (CSG) program is an Earth observation satellite constellation developed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
Developed to replace the first-generation COSMO-SkyMed constellation, the new CSG constellation will comprise just two satellites instead of four, and utilize an improved version of the Prima Bus spacecraft bus. An improved SAR instrument, named the CSG-SAR, is also featured on the satellites.

Falcon 9s upper stage will insert the satellite into a 619 km SSO inclined at 97.86 degrees. The two CSG satellites will operate in the same orbital plane. Following liftoff and stage separation, Falcon booster B1081, flying on its 21st mission, will perform a return-to-launch-site landing at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4), which is located directly adjacent to SLC-4E.

This mission will mark the final Falcon 9 launch of 2025. In total, Falcon 9 launched 166 missions in 2025 just shy of the companys 170 launch target bringing the total amount of Falcon 9 missions to 584. This mission will also mark SpaceXs 171st mission of 2025 and 611th overall.



Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 6-88

The first launch and Starlink mission of 2026, Starlink Group 6-88, is scheduled to launch at 12:00 AM EST (05:00 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Falcon 9 will launch a batch of 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into the constellations
Group 6 shell.

The launch window opens at 12:00 AM EST and lasts until 3:17 AM EST (08:17 UTC). Following launch and stage separation, a brand new Falcon booster, B1101, will land atop SpaceXs A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship.

This mission will mark the first Falcon 9 mission of 2026 and the 585th mission overall.

(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches from Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)

The post Launch Roundup: Worldwide launch manifest quiet as 2026 begins appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/12/launch-roundup-123025/


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