Launches: Starship Readies For Flight – Europe Aims For Jupiter
Some time next week, SpaceX will debut the most powerful rocket ever built, the fully-reusable Starship/Super Heavy behemoth that could provide routine, affordable and safe access to space for the first time in human history. In the meantime, ESA will launch an ambitious mission to study three of Jupiter’s moons that contain subsurface oceans.
Elon Musk tweeted that the launch from Starbase in Texas is trending toward the end of next week, which could indicate April 20, 2023.
Musk has tweeted that the Starship/Super Heavy vehicle is ready, but that SpaceX is waiting for a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Super Heavy first stage is powered by 31 Raptor engines, and the Starship upper stage by six Raptor engines. Starship is set to land in the ocean about 100 km (62 miles) off the coast of Hawaii after less than one orbit around the Earth. SpaceX has not announced any payload for the flight.
Musk has lowered expectations for the launch, stressing that it is a flight test with a significant probability of failing.
Upcoming Launches – April 2023
| Date | Launcher – Organization | Payload – Organization | Purpose | Launch Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 10 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | Transporter-7 rideshare – Multiple | Multiple | Vandenberg |
| April 13 | Ariane 5 | Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer – European Space Agency | Jupiter orbiter | Kourou |
| April 17 | Starship/Super Heavy – SpaceX | None | Flight test | Starbase |
| April 18 | Falcon Heavy – SpaceX | ViaSat-3 Americas – ViaSat | Communications | Kennedy |
| Arcturus (Aurora 4A) – Astranis/Pacific Dataport | Communications | |||
| Nusantara-H1A – PSN+ | Communications | |||
| April 19 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | 21 Starlink – SpaceX | Communications | Cape Canaveral |
| April 28 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | O3b mPower FM23, FM24 – SES | Communications | Cape Canaveral |
| TBA | Kuaizhou-1A – ExPace | TBA | TBA | Jiuquan |
^ National Reconnaissance Office
While the world waits for Starship’s maiden flight, there are other notable launches on the schedule. SpaceX will also launch its first Transporter rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California tonight. The company has conducted all previous Transporter flights from Florida.
The Transporter-7 mission is has been rescheduled several times and is now planned for 11:47 p.m. PDT (2:47 a.m. EDT/0647 UTC on Friday April 14, 2023). SpaceX webcasts all its launches on YouTube.
On April 13, 2023 ESA had planned to launch JUICE but weather forced a one day delay. Launch is now scheduled for April 14, 2023 at 8:14 a.m. EDT (1214 UTC). Arianespace’s Ariane 5 will launch the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) to explore Ganymede, Callisto and Europa, three moons whose ice-covered surfaces obscure subsurface oceans.
You can watch the JUICE launch live at ESA Web TV or via YouTube. A French version with interpreters will run on Web TV Channel Two. Coverage will begin at 13:45 CEST (11:45 UTC/7:45 a.m. EDT).
A Falcon Heavy rocket will launch communications satellites for ViaSat, Astranis and PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara of Indonesia on April 18, 2023. Falcon 9 boosters will also launch 21 Starlink broadband satellites and the O3b mPower FM23 and O3b mPower FM24 communications satellites for SES.
The Week in Launches
It was a relatively quiet week with only two launches over the past seven days. i-space’s Hyperbola-1 rocket made a successful return to flight on Friday after it suffered three successive failures in 2021 and 2022. The flight raised the rocket’s record to two successes and three failures.
Hyperbola-1 is four-stage solid-fuel booster that is capable of launching 300 kg into low Earth orbit. It became the first Chinese rocket launched by a commercial company to launch a satellite on July 25, 2019.
Launches
| Date | Launcher – Organization | Payload – Organization | Purpose | Launch Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 7 | Hyperbola-1 – i-space | None | Flight test | Jiuquan |
| April 7 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | Intelsat 40e – Intelsat | Communications | Cape Canaveral |
| TEMPO – NASA (Hosted payload) | Pollution monitoring |
SpaceX launched the Intelsat 40e geosynchronous communications satellite from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument is a hosted payload aboard the satellite.
Launches to Date
The United States continues to lead the world with a record of 26-3.
China is in a second place with 16 launches, followed by Russia with six launches. The top three nations have conducted 91% of the launches thus far this year.
Orbital Launches by Nation
Through April 10, 2023
| Nation | Successes | Failures | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 26 | 3 | 29 | 51.8 |
| China | 16 | 0 | 16 | 28.6 |
| Russia | 6 | 0 | 6 | 10.7 |
| India | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3.6 |
| Japan | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3.6 |
| Israel | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.8 |
| Total | 52 | 4 | 56 | 100 |
SpaceX has accounted for 22 of 29 American launches. The company has launched 773 satellites into orbit.
Launches by Company/Agency
Through April 10, 2023
| Company/Agency | Successes | Failures | Total | Satellites Launched | Satellites Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceX (USA) | 22 | 0 | 22 | 773 | 0 |
| CASC* (China) | 12 | 0 | 12 | 31 | 0 |
| Roscosmos (Russia) | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Rocket Lab (USA) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| ISRO (India) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 39 | 0 |
| Galactic Energy (China) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| ExPace (China) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| i-space (China) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MHI^ (Japan) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| RVSN RF+ (Russia) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Israel Ministry of Defence | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Space Pioneer (China) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Virgin Orbit (USA) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| ABL Space Systems (USA) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| JAXA (Japan) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Relativity Space (USA) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 52 | 4 | 56 | 868 | 12 |
^ Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
+ Russian Strategic Rocket Forces
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation remains dominant with 12 of the nation’s 16 launches. China’s i-space is a new entry on the board this week.
Launches by Booster
Through April 10, 2023
| Launch Vehicle | Company/Agency | Successes | Failures | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcon 9 | SpaceX | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| Electron | Rocket Lab | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Long March 2C | CASC* | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Long March 2D | CASC* | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Soyuz-2.1a | Roscosmos, RVSN RF | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Long March 3B/E | CASC* | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Long March 4C | CASC* | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Proton | Roscosmos | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ceres-1 | Galactic Energy | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Falcon Heavy | SpaceX | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| H-IIA | MHI~ | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Hyperbola 1 | i-space | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kuaizhou 1A | ExPace | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Long March 7A | CASC* | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Long March 11 | CASC* | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| LVM III | ISRO+ | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Shavit 2 | Israel Defense Forces | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| SSLV | ISRO+ | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Soyuz-2.1v | RVSN RF | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Tianlong-2 | Space Pioneer | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| H3 | JAXA^ | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| LauncherOne | Virgin Orbit | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| RS1 | ABL Space Systems | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Terran 1 | Relativity Space | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 52 | 4 | 56 |
~ Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
+ Indian Space Research Organisation
^ Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Falcon 9 remains the most flown booster in the world this year. Long March 2C and 2D have launched a combined six times.
Launches by Location
Through April 10, 2023
| Location | Nation | Successes | Failures | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Canaveral | USA | 13 | 1 | 14 |
| Vandenberg | USA | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Kennedy | USA | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport | USA | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska | USA | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jiuquan | China | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Xichang | China | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Taiyuan | China | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Wenchang | China | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Baikonur | Kazakhstan | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Plesetsk | Russia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Satish Dhawan | India | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Tanegashima | Japan | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Mahia | New Zealand | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Palmchim | Israel | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Cornwall | UK | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 52 | 4 | 56 |
There have been 18 launches from Florida to date. Six launches have been conducted out of Vandenberg, with two launches from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia and one from the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska.
China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center is the second most used spaceport in the world with nine launches. Most of the nation’s small satellite launch operators fly from Jiuquan.
Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana and Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome are not yet on the board.
Suborbital Launches
There were no civilian suborbital launches last week.
Suborbital Launches by Location
Through April 2, 2023
Excludes Ballistic Missile Tests
| Launch Site | Nation | Launches |
|---|---|---|
| Esrange | Sweden | 3 |
| Andoya | Norway | 2 |
| Wallops | USA | 2 |
| Alcantara | Brazil | 1 |
| 8 |
Two Scandinavian launch — Andoya in Norway and Esrange in Sweden — have hosted five of the eight civilian suborbital sounding rocket launches this year.
3 responses to “Launches: Starship Readies For Flight – Europe Aims For Jupiter”
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Problems with the new commenting system:
1) Apparently no way to subscribe in order to get notifications of new comments. This stifles discussion.
2) No way to edit or delete a comment once posted. Assumes you are perfect all the time.
3) Apparently you can’t reply to some comments individually, but instead have to reply to the entire thread. This is confusing, as it’s often not clear who exactly you are replying to.
4) Lastly, instead of encouraging discussion of the new system, Doug removed all comments from the post about the new system, and closed commenting on it. His site, he can do what he wants, but it seems excessive.
“The Super Heavy first stage is powered by 31 Raptor engines…”
I think you’ll find there are 33.
Watched the ESA JUICE launch. I find the ESA presentations fun to watch. Definitely their own unique flavor.