Space Station Launches Increase in May
In this week’s Launch Roundup, new crews and cargo ships are scheduled to visit the International Space Station and China’s Tiangong orbital outpost this month.
China kicked things off on May 10 when a Long March 7 rocket launched the Tianzhou-6 cargo ship with approximately 7.4 metric tons of supplies. The vehicle carried about 20 percent more payload than previous resupply vehicles, and also carried two CubeSats as secondary payloads.
Axiom Space is scheduled to launch its second commercial flight to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 21. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson will command the 16-day Ax-2 mission. Paying customers on the SpaceX Crew Dragon include American race car driver, pilot, and investor John Shoffner, and Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni.
China is expected to launch a three-member crew to the Tiangong space station later this month. The as-yet unidentified taikonauts will replace Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming, and Zhang Lu, who were launched to the orbital facility in late November.
Future Launches
| Date | Launcher – Organization | Payload – Organization | Purpose | Launch Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17 | Long March 3B/E – CASC | Beidou-3 G4 – CNSA^ | Navigation | Xichang |
| May 19 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | 21 Starlink – SpaceX | Communications | Cape Canaveral |
| May 19 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | 15 OneWeb – OneWeb | Communications | Vandenberg |
| 1 OneWeb Gen2 – OneWeb | Communications – tech demo | |||
| 5 Iridium NEXT – Iridium | Communications | |||
| May 21 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | Ax-2 – SpaceX/Axiom Space | Private space station crew | Kennedy |
| May 22 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | BADR-8 – Arabsat | Communications | Cape Canaveral |
| TBA | Electron – Rocket Lab | 2 TROPICS* – NASA | Earth observation | Mahia |
| May 24 | Nuri – KARI~ | 8 Rideshare – Multiple | Multiple | Naro |
| May 24 | Soyuz-2.1a – Roscosmos | Progress MS-23 (84P) – Roscosmos | Space station resupply | Baikonur |
| May 26 | Soyuz-2.1a – Roscosmos | Kondor-FKA No. 1 – VKS# | Reconnaissance | Vostochny |
| May 29 | GSLV Mk II – ISRO+ | NVS-01 – ISRO+ | Navigation | Satish Dhawan |
| TBA | Long March 2F/G – CASC | Shenzhou 16 – CMSA | Station crew | Jiuquan |
* Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats
~ Korea Aerospace Research Institute
# Russian Aerospace Defence Forces
+ Indian Space Research Organisation
Roscosmos will launch the Progress MS-23 cargo ship to ISS on May 24. The launch will be conducted aboard a Soyuz-2.1a spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Other Upcoming Launches
In addition to launching the Ax-2 mission, SpaceX has at least three other Falcon 9 flights scheduled for later this month. Payloads will include 21 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, 16 spacecraft for OneWeb’s broadband constellation, and the BADR-8 geosynchronous communications satellite for Arabasat.
The deployment of the 16 OneWeb satellites will enable the London-based company to complete the initial deployment of its broadband constellation and begin offering global service.
Rocket Lab is due to launch the second set of TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) satellites for NASA around May 22. The company has not yet set a date for the launch from New Zealand.
Rocket Lab launched the first two TROPICS CubeSats on May 10. The four-spacecraft constellation will study tropical cyclones and hurricanes.
South Korea’s Nuri rocket will carry eight payloads on its third flight, which is scheduled for May 24. The booster failed on its maiden launch in 2021, but succeeded on its second flight last year.
China will launch the Beidou-3 G4 satellite for its global navigation constellation on Wednesday, and India will launch the NVS-01 spacecraft for its regional satellite navigation system.
Russia will launch the Kondor-FKA No. 1 reconnaissance on May 26. It will be the first launch of the year from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East.
Recent Launches
SpaceX launched 107 Starlink satellites for its broadband constellation on May 10 and May 14. The company has launched 17 dedicated missions of the year with 781 Starlink satellites and two other payloads.
Recent Launches
| Date | Launcher – Organization | Payload – Organization | Purpose | Launch Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8 | Electron – Rocket Lab | TROPICS* – NASA | Earth observation | Mahia |
| May 10 | Long March 7 – CASC | Tianzhou 6 – CMSA | Station resupply – CSMA | Wenchang |
| Jinling – Nanjing Institute of Mechatronic Technology | Education | |||
| Dalian-1 Lianli – Dalian University of Technology | Earth observation | |||
| May 10 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | 51 Starlink – SpaceX | Communications | Vandenberg |
| May 14 | Falcon 9 – SpaceX | 56 Starlink – SpaceX | Communications | Cape Canaveral |
~ China Manned Space Agency
Launches by Nation
SpaceX and Rocket Lab account for all 35 successful American launches this year. SpaceX has launched 29 Falcon 9 rockets, two Falcon Heavy boosters, and the one Starship/Super Heavy.
Rocket Lab has launched Electron four times, including two flights from New Zealand and two others from the company’s new launch complex at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia. The company aims to complete 15 launches this year, up from nine in 2022.
Orbital Launches by Nation
Through May 13, 2023
| Nation | Successes | Failures | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 35 | 4 | 39 | 55.7 |
| China | 18 | 0 | 18 | 25.7 |
| Russia | 6 | 0 | 6 | 8.6 |
| India | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4.3 |
| Japan | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2.9 |
| Europe | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.4 |
| Israel | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.4 |
| Total | 65 | 5 | 70 | 100 |
China is in second place overall with 18 launches. CASC’s Long March family of boosters has flown 14 times. ExPace, i-space, Galactic Energy, and Space Pioneer have launched one time apiece.
Russia has launched six times, India thrice, and Japan twice. Europe and Israel have conducted one flight apiece.
The four failed American launches included three maiden flights – SpaceX’s Starship/Super Heavy, ABL Space Systems’ RS1, and Relativity Space’s Terran 1 – as well as the sixth launch of Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne. Japan’s H3 rocket also failed on its maiden launch.
Launches by Company/Agency
Through May 13, 2023
| Company/Agency | Successes | Failures | Total | Satellites Launched | Satellites Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceX (USA) | 31 | 1 | 32 | 1,053 | 0 |
| CASC* (China) | 14 | 0 | 14 | 35 | 0 |
| Roscosmos (Russia) | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Rocket Lab (USA) | 4 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| ISRO (India) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 41 | 0 |
| RVSN RF+ (Russia) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Arianespace (Europe) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 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 |
| 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 | 65 | 5 | 70 | 1,163 | 12 |
^ Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
+ Russian Strategic Rocket Forces
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets have carried 1,053 of the 1,163 satellites placed into space in the first four months of 2023.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is at the top of the launcher table by a wide margin with 29 flights. China’s Long March 2C & 2D variants have launched six times.
Launches by Booster
Through May 13, 2023
| Launch Vehicle | Company/Agency | Successes | Failures | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcon 9 | SpaceX | 29 | 0 | 29 |
| Long March 2C, 2D | CASC* | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Electron | Rocket Lab | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Soyuz-2.1a | Roscosmos, RVSN RF | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Falcon Heavy | SpaceX | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Long March 3B/E | CASC* | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Long March 4C | CASC* | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Proton | Roscosmos | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Ariane 5 | Arianespace | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ceres-1 | Galactic Energy | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| H-IIA | MHI~ | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Hyperbola 1 | i-space | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kuaizhou 1A | ExPace | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Long March 4B | CASC* | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Long March 7, 7A | CASC* | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Long March 11 | CASC* | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| LVM III | ISRO+ | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| PSLV | 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 |
| Starship | SpaceX | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Terran 1 | Relativity Space | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 65 | 5 | 70 |
~ Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
+ Indian Space Research Organisation
^ Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Launches by Spaceport
Florida has been the scene of 23 launches, with 18 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and five from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Vandenberg Space Force Base in California is in second place among American spaceports with nine launches.
Launches by Spaceport
Through May 13, 2023
| Location | Nation | Successes | Failures | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Canaveral | USA | 17 | 1 | 18 |
| Vandenberg | USA | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Kennedy | USA | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport | USA | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska | USA | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Starbase | USA | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jiuquan | China | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Xichang | China | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Taiyuan | China | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Wenchang | China | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Baikonur | Kazakhstan | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Satish Dhawan | India | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Mahia Peninsula | New Zealand | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Plesetsk | Russia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Tanegashima | Japan | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Europe’s Spaceport | French Guiana | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Palmchim | Israel | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Cornwall | UK | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 65 | 5 | 70 |
American companies have launched from six spaceports in the United States as well as Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand and the Cornwall Newquay Airport in the United Kingdom.
The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center leads all Chinese spaceports with 10 launches. The nation’s other three launch sites have hosted a total of seven launches.
Russia has launched four times from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and twice from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The first launch from Vostochny in Russia’s far east is scheduled for May 26.
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