Japan is set to launch its H3 rocket for the first time and a trio of spacecraft are headed to the International Space Station (ISS) in the weeks ahead. India is also hoping the second launch of its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) will succeed where the first failed.

China had a highly successful 2022 in space as it completed initial construction of its Tiangong space station, launched two crews to occupy it, and set a new national record with 64 launch attempts.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

It was a relatively quiet week for launches with by SpaceX and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) both conducting one flight apiece.

SpaceX launched 53 Starlink broadband satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Friday. The company has launched 3,108 Starlink satellites with 2,809 spacecraft working, according to Jonathan’s Space Report.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

During the past week, SpaceX launched 98 Starlink satellites, a Chinese commercial launch provider made it three in a row, Russia launched a rideshare mission with an Iranian satellite aboard, and India’s new small satellite launcher fell just short of orbit.

There have been 103 orbital launches worldwide, with 99 successes and four failures.

Let’s take a closer look at the last week in launch.

Translated from Chinese via Google Translate

by Wang Yuqing
Galactic Energy Intern

At 12:13 on December 7, 2021, Galactic Energy successfully launched the Ceres-1 (Yao-2) carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, and successfully sent five commercial satellites into a 500km sun-synchronous orbit. So far, Galactic Energy has become the first domestic commercial rocket company with the ability to launch multiple satellites with one rocket.

In 2022, Galactic Energy is about to usher in a large-scale launch, that is, 5-6 launch missions, achieving an annual production capacity of 24 rounds. This also means that the final assembly and testing department will face unprecedented challenges. How they will provide guarantee for Galactic Energy to successfully complete the large-scale launch, the focus of this week’s Galactic Magazine is on the final assembly and final testing team.

Translated from Chinese by Google Translate

BEIJING (Galactic Energy PR) — From July to December 2021, Galactic Energy (Beijing) Space Technology Co., Ltd. completed B and B+ rounds of financing totaling 1.27 billion yuan [$200.6 million]. This round of financing was led by Dongfang Fuhai and Huaqiang Capital, AVIC Aviation Finance, China Military Financial Investment, Anhui Jiangnan Construction Investment, Chengdu New Economy Fund, Zhongtian Huifu, Yunding Capital, Tianhong Investment, Maiqiu Venture Capital, Hexin Fangce, Jiusong Heze, Tianqiong Xuanji, Zhidao Capital, Taicang Hongli, Haiyang Ruiming, Looking Up at the Starry Sky, Bright Starry Sky, and old shareholders Meihua New Potential Energy Fund, Yuanhang Capital, etc. joined the investment. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the new and old shareholders for their trust and support.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

A new chairman has taken over the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at a crucial time as the space agency continues to struggles with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the challenge of becoming only the fourth nation capable of launching astronauts into orbit.

China’s surging space program showed no sign of slowing down last year as it tied its own launch record and moved ahead with ambitious space missions and a set of new launchers.

China compiled a record of 35 successes and four failures in 2020. That matched the number of launch attempts made in 2018, a year that saw 38 successes and a single failure.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

There were 27 orbital launch attempts with 26 successes and one failure during the first quarter of 2021. The United States accounted for nearly half the total with 13 launches behind nine flights by SpaceX.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

Galactic Energy, which became the second private Chinese launch provider to orbit a satellite on Saturday, has announced that it completed a Series A financing round of 200 million yuan ($30.25 million) in September.

In a press release, Galactic Energy said the funding will be used to manufacture and perform upgrades on the solid-fuel Ceres-1 small-satellite booster that flew last week. The funding will also allow the company to continue research and development on its larger liquid-fuel Pallas-1 (Zhishen-1) booster.