Jonathan's Space Report
No. 857 2026 Jul 1 Bromley, UK
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Update:
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Construction on my new Space Library near London is finally proceeding.
Updates at https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-jonathans-space-report-library-transition
ISS
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Expedition 74 continues.
Progress MS-34, docked to the Zvezda module, fired its engines at 0500 UTC Jun 10 to reboost the ISS orbit.
The Dragon CRS-34 cargo ship undocked from IDA2 at 1625UTC Jun 16 and splashed down at 1211 UTC Jun 17
near 117.9W 33.1N, in the Oceaside recovery zone off the California coat.
Tohoku University's 3U cubesat Hokushin-1, launched to ISS aboard Cygnus
NG-24 in April, was deployed at 1110 UTC Jun 19 from J-SSOD-37,
extracted from the Kibo airlock by the JRMS robot arm.
On Jun 30 astronauts Williams and Meir made spacewalk US EVA-95 from the Quest airlock
to replace a wrist joint on the Canadarm-2 (SSRMS). The airlock was depressurized at 1212 UTC
and the hatch was opened at 1219 UTC. The crew translated to the ESP-2 storage platform
to retrieve the spare joint, which was launched on ESP-3 aboard STS-118 in 2007 and moved to
ESP-2 in 2022. Then the LEE B `hand' with two joints attached, dubbed the `LEE cluster',
was removed from the arm at 1508 UTC and stowed on ESP2. The bad joint, on the arm since launch
in 2001, was then removed at 1615 UTC. The new joint was installed at 1630 and the LEE cluster
was reattached at 1745 UTC. The bad joint was taken back to the airlock. The astronauts
closed the hatch at 1924 UTC and repressurized the airlock at 1940 UTC.
Chinese Space Station
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The station made three reboost burns I did not report earlier: on May 9, May 13 and May 22.
The Tianzhou 10 cargo ship arrived on May 11, replacing Tianzhou 9 which departed on May 6 and
was sent to a destructive reentry.
Starlink launches
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Starlink Group 10-43 (29 Ku sats) was launched on Jun 4 from Canaveral.
Starlink Group 17-43 (21 Ku sats) was launched on Jun 7 from Vandenberg along with two Starshield satellites
Starlink Group 10-35 (29 Ku sats) was launched on Jun 8 from Canaveral.
Starlink Group 17-44 (24 Ku sats) was launched on Jun 11 from Vandenberg.
Starlink Group 10-54 (29 Ku sats) was launched on Jun 12 from Canaveral.
Starlink Group 17-54 (24 Ku sats) was launched on Jun 15 from Vandenberg.
Starlink Group 17-28 (24 Ku sats) was launched on Jun 21 from Vandenberg.
Starlink Group 17-45 (24 Ku sats) was launched on Jun 25 from Vandenberg.
Starlink Group 17-40 (24 Ku sats) was launched on Jun 28 from Vandenberg.
Other Falcon 9 flights
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On Jun 17 SpaceX launched three AST Space Mobile BlueBird communications satellites.
On Jun 19 SpaceX launched the NROL-179 Starshield mission from the National Reconnaissance Office
with 9 payloads aboard.
On Jun 23 SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 with their Starfall Demo payload, a 2100 kg reentry vehicle.
The F9 upper stage with Starfall attached entered an approx 250 x 900 km x 40 deg orbit,
with a plane change at apogee to 900 x 900 km x 52 deg, and then a deorbit burn.
Starfall separated from the F9 upper stage after the deorbit burn, and landed in the Pacific about 1440 UTC
after completing 2 Earth revolutions. It was recovered from the ocean and returned to SpaceX headquarters.
Space Force did not catalog the Starfall Demo launch or release TLEs,
even though it was clearly orbital. I have assigned the Starfall
Demo launch a 'special' launch designation of 2026-U03 and the capsule
gets a number in my auxiliary catalog (auxcat) as A11910.
Thanks to twitter user mickeywzx for their analysis of the mission, including
Chinese observations of the post-deorbit venting.
On Jun 29 SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 with Sirius XM's SXM-11
geostationary digital radio satelite, built by Lanteris, with a launch
mass about 7000 kg. The satellite was plaed in a subsync transfer orbit
of 219 x 19617 km x 27 deg.
SAST launches
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On Jun 4, SAST and CGWIC launched a CZ-6A from Taiyuan with eighteen Qianfan internet satellites (Group 11).
On Jun 17 SAST launched a CZ-12 from Hainan with nine Xingwang internet satellites (Group 22).
CALT launches
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On Jun 5, CALT and China Commercial Rocket launched a CZ-8 from Hainan with eighteen Qianfan internet satellites
(Group 12)
On Jun 11 CALT launched a CZ-5 from Wenchang with the Tongxin Jishu Shiyan Weixing 25 (Comms Technology Sat 25).
The satellite was located in GEO at 120.3E; it is likely a large signals intelligence satellite replacing
TJS 11, which has been relocated to 112E.
On Jun 16 CALT launched a CZ-3B from Xichang; the Shi Jian 31 satellite was placed in an unusual Molniya orbit
with the apogee and perigee near the equatorial plane.
On Jun 23 CALT launched a CZ-7A from Wenchang with the Tongxin Jishu Shiyan Weixing 26 A xing (Comms Technology Sat 26A)
to geotransfer orbit.
Commercial Chinese launches
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On Jun 9, Landspace launched a Zhuque-2E with the first direct-to-cell Qianfan satellite and
a satellite for China Mobile. The upper stage is reported by US Space Force to have disintegrated
at 0847 UTC Jun 9, which would be about the right time for an upper stage disposal burn following
deployment of the payloads.
On Jun 15, CAS Space launched a Lijian-1 to sun-sync orbit, delivering eight imaging satellites
built by Changguang Space Tech for a variety of customers.
On Jun 17, EXPACE launched a KZ-11 with a set of 7 Weili Kongjian (Centispace) nav augmentation satellites.
Announcement of launch success was delayed and there is a rumour that an 8th payload failed to separate
from the upper stage. However an 8th object was later cataloged in the same orbit - perhaps it separated
but failed to switch on.
H3-30
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JAXA launched the first H3-30 on Jun 12. In contrast to the previous H3-22S and H3-24W models, H3-30
has no solid boosters, but has 3 instead of 2 main engines in the core stage. The main payload
was a 1500 kg Vehicle Evaluation Payload, VEP-5, which remained attached to the upper stage
and was deorbited with it after the deployment of six small satellites in orbit.
The satellites are - Umitsubame (PETREL), an imaging sat from Science Tokyo;
BRO-22, a radio monitoring satellite from the French company Unseen Labs; HORN-L and HORN-R,
from Japan's BULL Co., demonstrators for a deployable drag sail; STARS-X, a satellite from
Shizuoka university which will deploy a 1 km tether; and VERTECS from Kyushu Tech, with an
astronomy experiment to measure the diffuse visible background light radiation.
Rocket Lab
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On Jun 11 Rocket Lab launched a HASTE test vehicle (modified Electron) from the Mid Atlantic
Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island, with the CURVEBALL military test vehicle.
HASTE is usually suborbital but the US Space Force cataloged two rocket stages (presumably
the Electron stage 2 and kick stage) in orbit as a result of the flight.
No detailed orbital elements have been released but the satellite catalog page shows
stage 2 in a 189 x 204 km x 40.0 deg orbit and the kick stage in a 198 x 199 km x 40.0 deg orbit,
consistent with the 40-41 deg inclination suggested by the launch warning areas in the western
Atlantic. I would guess that both objects probably reentered by Jun 13 or so.
The likely implication is that HASTE placed CURVEBALL in a low orbit, and then CURVEBALL immediately
used its own propulsion to deorbit itself in the Atlantic. Since it remained up for less than an orbit
it was not cataloged, but the rocket stages did stay up for a day or so, and so were recorded in the SATCAT.
Another possibility is that CURVEBALL completed most of an orbit and was recovered in the Western US,
for example at the Utah Test and Training Range. I consider this unlikely.
On Jun 19 Rocket Lab launched an Electron from Mahia carrying the VICTUS
HAZE Puma satellite to a sun-sync orbit. Puma is a Photon-class
maneuverable satellite based on the Electron kick stage. It is
to undergo rendezvous manuevers to inspect True Anomaly's Jackal 004
satellite, which itself is making evasive manuevers. No announcement was
made about the launch until Jun 22. As of Jul 1 the satellites remain
within 100 km of each other.
On Jun 26 Rocket Lab launched another Electron from Mahia with the StriX-8 radar satellite for Synspective.
Ariane
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Arianespace launched an Ariane 64 on Jun 17. This was the first one to fly with the larger P160C
solid boosters. It placed 36 Amazon Leo sats in orbit.
Chinese spaceplane
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The 4th flight of the Chinese spaceplane (Chonfu Shiyong Shiyan Hangtian qi), launched on Feb 7,
continues. From May 6 to 21 it carried out orbital manuevers synchronizing its orbit with
a satellite deployed on its previous mission, keeping a distance of 100 to 200 km from it.
Then on Jun 21 it deployed a new satellite. The new satellite (69673, 2026-024H) has begun
carrying out orbital manuevers and at this point has not remained close to the spaceplane.
Table of Recent Orbital (and near-Orbital) Launches
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Date UT Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission INTL. Catalog Perigee Apogee Incl Notes
Jun 1 0840 Qianfan Jigui 08-01, 08-02 Chang Zheng 12B Jiuquan Comms 121 1020 x 1047 x 89.0
Jun 3 1540 Starlink Group 17-47 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 122 257 x 271 x 97.3
Jun 4 1026 Starlink Group 10-43 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 123 245 x 246 x 53.1
Jun 4 1139 Qianfan Jigui 11-01 to 11-18 Chang Zheng 6A Taiyuan Comms 124 810 x 821 x 89.0
Jun 5 0634 Qianfan Jigui 12-01 to 12-18 Chang Zheng 8 Hainan Comms 125 820 x 838 x 89.0
Jun 7 0424 Starlink Group 17-43 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 126 311 x 326 x 97.3
USA 608, USA 609 Unk 126
Jun 8 1013 Starlink Group 10-35 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 127 254 x 257 x 53.2
Jun 9 0823 Qianfan DTC 01 Zhuque 2E Jiuquan Comms 128 395 x 406 x 55.0
Zhongguo Yidong 02 Comms 128
Jun 11 0730 TJS 25 Chang Zheng 5 Wenchang Sigint? 129A 224 x 45755 x 16.5
Jun 11 0800? CURVEBALL Electron Wallops MARS Hypersonic 130 189 x 204 x 40.0
Jun 11 1505 Starlink Group 17-44 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 131 255 x 269 x 97.3
Jun 12 0054 VEP-5 H3-30 Tanegashima Y Tech 132 556 x 571 x 97.7
Umitsubame Imaging 132
STARS-X Tech 132
BRO-22 Sigint 132
VERTECS Astron 132
HORN-L Tech 132
HORN-R Tech 132
Jun 12 1237 Starlink Group 10-54 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 133 241 x 254 x 53.2
Jun 15 0344 Jilin-1 04D01 Lijian-1 Jiuquan Imaging 134 528 x 548 x 97.7
Jilin-1 04D02 Imaging 134
Jilin-1 05D01 Imaging 134
Jilin-1 05D02 Imaging 134
Jilin-1 07C04 Imaging 134
Jilin-1 07D02 Imaging 134
Jilin-1 07D03 Imaging 134
Jilin-1 07D04 Imaging 134
Jun 15 1534 Starlink Group 17-54 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 135 257 x 271 x 97.3
Jun 16 0945 Shi Jian 31 Chang Zheng 3B Xichang Unk 136 178 x 35820 x 63.5
Jun 17 0244 Xingwang Digui 22-01 to 22-09 Chang Zheng 12 Hainan CLS2 Comms 137 911 x 928 x 50.0
Jun 17 0358 Weili Kongjian 05-01 to 05-07 Kuaizhou-11 Jiuquan Nav 138 832 x 846 x 55.2
Jun 17 0639 BlueBird 8, 9, 10 Falcon 9 Canaveral Comms 139 526 x 531 x 53.0
Jun 17 1221 Amazon Leo LE03 Ariane 64 Kourou ELA4 Comms 140 443 x 457 x 51.9
Jun 19 0850 USA 610-618 (NROL-179 ) Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Unk 141 300? x 325? x 70
Jun 19 1110 Hokushin-1 J-SSOD, ISS Tech 98067YH 412 x 421 x 51.6
Jun 19 1019 VICTUS HAZE Puma Electron Mahia Tech 142 347 x 461 x 97.5
Jun 21 Subsat? CSSHQ, LEO Unk 024H 588 x 596 x 50.0
Jun 21 1639 Starlink Group 17-28 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 143 253 x 267 x 97.3
Jun 23 0210 TJS 26A Chang Zheng 7A Wenchang Early Warn? 144A 170 x 35847 x 19.5
Jun 23 1053 Starfall Demo Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Microgra U03 900?x900? x 52.0
Jun 25 0330 Starlink Group 17-45 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 145 255 x 268 x 97.3
Jun 26 1743 StriX-8 Electron Mahia Radar 146A 547 x 560 x 42.0
Jun 28 1609 Starlink Group 17-40 Falcon 9 Vandenberg SLC4E Comms 147 255 x 265 x 97.3
Jun 29 0225 SXM-11 Falcon 9 Canaveral LC40 Comms 148A 219 x 19617 x 27.0
Table of Recent Suborbital Launches
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Date UT Payload/Flt Name Launch Vehicle Site Mission Apogee/km Target
May 31 0633 SubOrb Exp. 5 Red Kite/Red Kite Kiruna Micrograv 260 ESRANGE
Jun 24 0930 Rocksat/RockOn Terrier I.Mal. Wallops Student 119? Atlantic
Jun 26 1711 SHORTSTOP Castor IVBXL Wallops Hypersonic? 300? Atlantic
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| Jonathan McDowell | |
| Bromley, UK | inter : planet4589 at gmail |
| | twitter: @planet4589 |
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| JSR: https://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html |
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