Launch Preview: 10 launches scheduled from sites across the world

Date:
Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:30:34 +0000

Description:
A very busy launch manifest is expected in the upcoming week, with 10
launches scheduled The post Launch Preview: 10 launches scheduled from sites across the world appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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

A very busy launch manifest is expected in the upcoming week, with 10
launches scheduled from various sites across the world. Falcon 9 is expected to launch five of the 10 launches this week, with two Starlink missions, a mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, a mission for AST
SpaceMobile, and a demo of the companys upcoming Starfall reentry vehicle.

Internationally, an Ariane 64 will launch a batch of Amazon Leo satellites from French Guiana with upgraded solid rocket boosters, while Rocket Lab is scheduled to launch a synthetic aperture radar satellite for Synspective. Three Chinese rockets are also expected to launch this week, though the payloads being launched are unknown.



Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 17-54

The first launch of the week saw a Falcon 9 launch a batch of 24 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into the Group 17 shell of SpaceXs Starlink internet constellation. Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 8:34 AM PDT (15:34 UTC) on Monday, June 15. Flying on a southern trajectory from Vandenberg, Falcon 9 deployed the satellites into a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).

Falcon booster B1093 supported the mission, flying for a 14th time. Following launch and stage separation, the stage landed on SpaceXs west coast
droneship, Of Course I Still Love You, downrange in the Pacific. This booster previously supported the Tranche 1 Transport Layer B, Tranche 1 Transport Layer C, Transporter 16, and 11 Starlink missions. The Starlink satellites before deployment in orbit. (Credit: SpaceX)

Standing 70 m tall and 3.7 m in diameter, Falcon 9 is a two-stage partially reusable launch vehicle capable of lofting 22,000 kg to LEO and 8,300 kg to geostationary transfer orbit. Falcon 9s reusable first stage features nine Merlin engines, while the second stage features a single vacuum-optimized Merlin engine. Both stages utilize liquid kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX) propellants.

Chang Zheng 3B/E | Shijian-31

The first of three Chinese launches to fly in the span of 24 hours lifted off on Tuesday, June 16, at 08:45 UTC from Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China. A Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) Chang Zheng 3B/E (CZ-3B/E) lofted a classified satellite named Shijian-31 on a southeastern trajectory.

This mission marked the return to flight for the CZ-3B/E. The rockets most recent mission, the launch of the Shijian 32 mission on Jan. 16, failed
during third stage flight, resulting in the payload not reaching orbit. The CZ-3B/E first flew in 2007 and has become one of Chinas workhorse rockets. Comprised of three stages, the vehicle has a liftoff thrust of 5,986 kN and uses toxic but highly storable hypergolic propellants. The CZ-3B/E stands
56.3 m tall.

The launch marked the 176th overall CZ-3B/E mission. CZ-12 undergoing pre-launch processing. (Credit: raz_liu)

Chang Zheng 12 | Unknown Payload

The next scheduled launch from China was a Chang Zheng 12 (CZ-12) on Wednesday, June 17, at 02:44 UTC from Commercial LC-2 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site. CZ-12 followed a southeastern trajectory into an unknown orbit
to deploy an unknown payload.

The CZ-12 is a two-stage medium-lift launch vehicle that stands 62 m tall and 3.8 m in diameter. Debuting in November 2024, the first stage features four YF-100K engines, and the second stage features two YF-115 engines. Both
stages utilize RP-1 and LOX propellants. The rocket is capable of lofting 12,000 kg to a 200 km low-Earth orbit (LEO) and 6,000 kg to a 700 km SSO.

This mission served as the sixth overall CZ-12 mission and the second of
2026.

Kuaizhou 11 | Unknown Payload

A Kuaizhou 11, manufactured by the Chinese state-owned spaceflight company ExPace, launched on Wednesday, June 17, at 03:40 UTC from Site 95A at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The vehicle flew on a southeastern
trajectory to deploy an unknown payload to an unknown orbit.

Flying since 2020, the Kuaizhou 11 is a four-stage, 25.3 m-tall rocket
capable of lifting 1,500 kg to LEO. This mission marked the rockets second mission of 2026 and sixth overall.



Falcon 9 | BlueBird 8 to 10

Falcon 9 launched on Wednesday, June 17, at 2:39 AM EDT (06:39 UTC) from
Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Three BlueBird Block 2 satellites, encapsulated atop Falcon 9, rode into LEO along a northeastern trajectory out of the Cape. The launch window lasted until 4:15 AM EDT (08:15 UTC).

BlueBird Block 2 satellites are manufactured and operated by AST SpaceMobile and will contribute to ASTs goal of establishing 24/7 continuous cellular broadband service coverage across the United States. With over 5,600 coverage cells, the satellites support 40 MHz beams and 120 Mbps transmission rates, delivering nearly 10 times the bandwidth capacity of the BlueBird satellites currently in orbit. The three BlueBird Block 2 satellites flying on this mission titled FM3, FM4, and FM5 mass a total of 13,500 kg.

Flying on its 29th mission, Falcon booster B1077 supported this mission, ultimately landing atop SpaceXs east coast droneship, A Shortfall of Gravitas , downrange in the Atlantic Ocean. This booster has previously supported the Crew-5, GPS III SV06, Inmarsat I-6 F2, CRS-28, Galaxy 37, CRS NG-20, Optus-X, and 21 Starlink missions.



Ariane 64 | Amazon Leo (LE-03)

Starlink satellites arent the only internet satellites scheduled to launch this week, as an Ariane 6 launched a batch of 36 Amazon Leo satellites to
LEO. Ariane 6, flying in its 64 configuration with four P160C solid rocket boosters, launched from pad Ensemble de Lancement Ariane 4 (ELA-4) at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, on Wednesday, June 17, at 12:21 UTC.

Ariane 6 followed a northeastern trajectory out of Kourou, flying with the upgraded P160C solid rocket boosters for the first time as part of a Block 2 upgrade. The new boosters are one meter longer than the previously-used P120C boosters and carry 156 tonnes of propellant. The improved performance of the P160C allows the Ariane 64 to carry additional Amazon Leo satellites, increasing the number of satellites that can be launched on a single mission from 32 to 36. The P160Cs in the 64 configuration also make the form the most powerful Ariane 6 variant.

The Ariane 6, manufactured by the ArianeGroup, is the direct successor to the Ariane 5. In its 64 configuration, the Ariane 6 is a two-stage heavy-lift launch vehicle capable of lofting 21,650 kg to LEO and 15,500 kg to SSO. Standing 63 m tall and 5.4 m wide, both stages utilize liquid hydrogen (LH2) and LOX as propellants, with the first stage utilizing a single Vulcain 2.1 engine and the second stage utilizing a single Vinci engine.

This mission marked the eighth overall mission for the Ariane 6 since its debut in 2024, and the third mission of 2026. The upgraded P160C boosters are integrated onto the Ariane 6 stack ahead of launch. (Credit: Arianespace)

Electron | Ten Owl Of Ten

Rocket Lab is scheduled to join the launch manifest this week with the launch of the Ten Owl Of Ten mission on its Electron rocket. Electron is scheduled
to launch from one of two pads at Rocket Labs Launch Complex 1 (LC-1) on the Mhia Peninsula in New Zealand on Wednesday, June 17, at 20:40 UTC.

Electron will be carrying the StriX-8 satellite for the Japanese satellite company Synspective. Equipped with synthetic aperture radar instrumentation, StriX-8 will collect data with a ground resolution of one to three meters and a swath width of more than 10 to 30 km. The launch of StriX-8 is the fourth
of a purchase of 10 launches on Electron by Synspective, and StriX-8 will be the 10th overall StriX satellite launched by Rocket Lab.

Electron is a two-stage small satellite launch vehicle that utilizes nine Rutherford engines on its first stage and a single vacuum-optimized
Rutherford on the second stage. For this mission, Electron will fly with the Curie kick stage. Powered by RP-1 and LOX, Electron stands 18 m tall and 1.2
m wide, and is capable of lofting 320 kg to LEO and 200 kg to SSO.

This mission will mark the 90th overall Electron mission and the seventh of 2026. Payload integration complete. The StriX satellite for @synspective has been encapsulated on Electron ahead of our next mission to low Earth orbit
for their Earth-imaging constellation.

'Ten Owl Of Ten' our 90th Electron launch is scheduled for launch NET June 18 NZT. pic.twitter.com/25o1beCcJo

Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) June 15, 2026



Falcon 9 | NROL-179

Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch the NROL-179 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) on Thursday, June 18, at 1:54 AM PDT (08:54 UTC) from SLC-4E in California. The launch window lasts until 2:29 AM PDT (09:29 UTC). Falcon 9 will follow a southeastern trajectory out of Vandenberg into LEO.

Though the exact details of the payload being launched are classified, the mission is a part of the NROs Proliferated Architecture constellation, which is being built and deployed by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman. The constellation is expected to improve access timeliness, diversify communication pathways, enhance resilience, and eliminate single points of failure.

Falcon booster B1103 will support this mission, flying for the third time.
One of the youngest boosters in SpaceXs fleet, the booster first flew the Starlink Group 17-35 mission in April and would go on to fly the Starlink Group 17-42 mission on May 19. Following launch and stage separation, the booster willperform a return-to-launch-site landing at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4), which is located directly adjacent to SLC-4E.

Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 17-28

The second Starlink mission of the week is scheduled for Saturday, June 20,
at 7:00 AM PDT (14:00 UTC) from SLC-4E at Vandenberg in California. Falcon 9 will carry a batch of 24 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to SSO.



One of the oldest boosters in SpaceXs booster fleet, B1063, will support this mission on its 33rd flight after a 70-day turnaround. The booster will land atop Of Course I Still Love You downrange in the Pacific following stage separation. B1063 first flew on the Sentinel-6A Michael Freilich mission in November 2020 and has since flown the DART, Transporter 7, Iridium-9 & OneWeb #19, Tranche 0B, NROL-113, NROL-167, NROL-149, NAOS & Others, and 23 Starlink missions.

Falcon 9 | Starfall Demo

The final mission of the week will see Falcon 9 launch a demonstration
mission for SpaceXs upcoming Starfall reentry vehicle. Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch on Sunday, June 21, at 6:43 AM EDT (10:43 UTC) from SLC-40 in Florida. The launch window extends to 11:26 AM EDT (15:26 UTC), and Falcon 9 will launch on a suborbital trajectory.

SpaceXs Starfall reentry vehicle is an upcoming mass-produced spacecraft that will autonomously transport payloads safely from orbit to Earths surface. The disk-shaped Starfall capsules will have a diameter of 3.1 m, stand only 0.75
m tall, and weigh approximately 2,100 kg. Once in service, the reentry vehicles will be capable of carrying payloads of up to 1,000 kg, supporting point-to-point cargo and in-orbit manufacturing services.

The booster supporting this mission and its landing location are currently unknown. Details will be released closer to launch.

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



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/06/launch-preview-061626/


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