Key Takeaways:
- The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission, a joint US-India endeavor, is scheduled to launch on July 30th, aiming to provide high-resolution, three-dimensional mapping of Earth's surface for monitoring environmental changes.
- SpaceX's Crew-11 mission, carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station for a 142-day stay, is slated for launch on July 31st. The mission will conduct research relevant to NASA's Artemis program and deep-space exploration.
- The week preceding the NISAR and Crew-11 launches involved multiple rocket launches from various countries, including several SpaceX Falcon 9 missions deploying Starlink satellites and other payloads.
- Numerous other launches are planned for the following week, including additional Starlink deployments by SpaceX and several missions by Chinese launch vehicles.
Mission highlight: NISAR and SpaceX Crew-11 prepare for takeoff
On Wednesday, July 30, at 8:10 a.m. EDT, India’s GSLV Mk II will launch from the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre carrying NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar). NISAR is designed to chronicle changes in Earth’s land and ice in unprecedented detail. The satellite’s dual-radar system will provide a three-dimensional view of our planet’s surface at resolutions as high as fractions of an inch, even through clouds and rain, twice every 12 days. These data will help track earthquakes, landslides, glaciers, and crops worldwide. The mission is the first joint satellite mission between the US and India, and builds on the history of U.S.-India cooperation in space. That includes the recent Axiom Mission 4, which marked the first time NASA and ISRO astronauts lived and worked together aboard the International Space Station.
Just over a day later, on Thursday, July 31, at 12:09 p.m. EDT, a Falcon 9 Block 5 will lift off from Kennedy Space Center’s LC‑39A carrying the SpaceX Crew‑11 mission. Aboard the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft, astronauts Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov will head to the ISS for a 142-day stay, carrying out vital human research — like simulated lunar landing tests and vision protection studies — to support NASA’s Artemis and deep-space exploration missions. SpaceX Crew-11 is the 12th SpaceX flight with astronauts and the 11th SpaceX crew rotation mission.
Last week’s recap
Six different rockets departed from five countries last week, including a trio of Falcon 9 launches. On Tuesday, SpaceX deployed O3b mPOWER 9 & 10 from Cape Canaveral, continuing SES’s second‑generation internet constellation. The next day, a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg successfully delivered payloads to orbit including TRACERS, a pair of spacecraft that will study magnetic reconnection near Earth’s poles. Friday early morning saw Russia’s Soyuz 2.1b launch Ionosfera-M n°3 and 4, supporting space weather research from a high‑inclination orbit. Friday night brought Europe’s Vega C back into action with France’s CO3D & MicroCarb, a pairing of Earth imagery and carbon-monitoring satellites. Two more Falcon 9s launched Starlink Group 10-26 and Starlink Group 17-2 over the weekend — one from Florida early Saturday and one from California early Sunday — before China closed out the week early Sunday with a Long March 6A lofting SatNet LEO Group 05 from Taiyuan.
Other missions this week
After weeks of delays, Australia’s Gilmour Space Technologies will again attempt the inaugural test flight of its Eris TestFlight1 mission on Tuesday, July 29, at 11:30 p.m. EDT from Bowen Orbital Spaceport.
On Tuesday night, iSpace plans to launch its Hyperbola 1 from Jiuquan at 12:10 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 30, carrying an undisclosed payload.
SpaceX is set to launch Starlink Group 10-29 aboard a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-40 on Tuesday, July 29 at 11:30 p.m. EDT.
An early Wednesday launch at 3:50 a.m. EDT will see China’s Long March 12 lift off from Wenchang carrying a batch of low-Earth-orbit satellites from SatNet.
Just over three hours later, at 11:39 a.m. EDT, another Falcon 9 will launch Starlink Group 13-4 from Vandenberg’s SLC-4E.
Rocket Lab’s Electron will launch the suborbital JAKE 4 mission from Wallops on Wednesday at 9:45 p.m. EDT.
Also, Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. EDT, China’s ExPace will launch Kuaizhou 1A carrying an unknown payload from Xichang.
Finally, on Saturday, August 2, at 10:05 p.m. EDT, another Falcon 9 will launch Starlink Group 17-4 from Vandenberg, with the droneship Of Course I Still Love You supporting the recovery.
Looking ahead
Early next week, China’s Long March 12 is slated to launch another SatNet LEO payload on Monday, August 4 at 3:20 a.m. PDT from Wenchang’s Commercial LC‑2.
