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October 2021
Progress 79P Soyuz Launch
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the 79th Progress cargo delivery ship to the International Space Station. The rocket will fly in the Soyuz-2.1a configuration. Launch Time: TBD
Find out more »USSF 44 Falcon Heavy Launch
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the USSF 44 mission for the U.S. Space Force. The mission is expected to deploy two spacecraft payloads directly into geosynchronous orbit, one of which is the military’s TETRA 1 microsatellite. Launch Time: TBD Launch Date: TBD, October 2021
Find out more »BlackSky 10 & 11 Electron Launch
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will launch two small satellites for BlackSky’s commercial fleet of Earth observation spacecraft. Rocket Lab has nicknamed this mission “Love At First Insight.” Launch Time: TBD - NET October 2021
Find out more »Shenzhou 13 Long March 2F Launch
A Chinese Long March 2F rocket will launch the Shenzhou 13 spacecraft with three Chinese astronauts to rendezvous and dock with the Chinese space station in low Earth orbit. This is China’s eighth crewed space mission, and the second to the Chinese space station. Launch Time: TBD Launch Date: TBD, October 2021
Find out more »BlackSky 12 & 13 Electron Launch
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will launch two small second-generation satellites for BlackSky’s commercial fleet of Earth observation spacecraft. Launch Time: TBD Launch Date: TBD, NET October 2021
Find out more »BlackSky 14 & 15 Electron Launch
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket will launch two small second-generation satellites for BlackSky’s commercial fleet of Earth observation spacecraft. Launch Time: TBD Launch Date: TBD, NET October 2021
Find out more »Crew 3 Falcon 9 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on its third operational flight with astronauts on-board to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Raja Chari and Thomas Marshburn, and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer will launch on the Crew Dragon spacecraft. A fourth crew member will be assigned at a later date. The Crew Dragon will return to a splashdown at sea. Launch Time: TBD
Find out more »November 2021
Taurid Meteor Shower Peak (Southern Taurids)
(Photo by Channone Arif) The Southern Taurids are an annual meteor shower associated with the comet Encke. They are named after their radiant point in the constellation Taurus, where they are seen to come from in the sky. Because of their occurrence in late October and early November, they are also called Halloween fireballs. Typically, Taurids appear at a rate of about 5 per hour, moving slowly across the sky at about 17 miles per second (27 kilometers per second), or…
Find out more »Taurid Meteor Shower Peak (Northern Taurids)
(Photo by Mike Lewinski) The Taurids are an annual meteor shower associated with the comet Encke. They are named after their radiant point in the constellation Taurus, where they are seen to come from in the sky. Typically, Taurids appear at a rate of about 5 per hour, moving slowly across the sky at about 17 miles per second (27 kilometers per second), or 65,000 miles per hour. If larger than a pebble, these meteors may become bolides as bright as the…
Find out more »Galileo 27 & 28 Soyuz Launch
An Arianespace Soyuz rocket, designed VS26, will launch on a mission from the Guiana Space Center in South America. The Soyuz will carry two Galileo full operational capability satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation constellation. The Soyuz-2.1b (Soyuz ST-B) rocket will use a Fregat upper stage. Instantaneous Launch Window: 8:07:49 p.m. EST on November 22 (0107:49 GMT November 23)
Find out more »DART Falcon 9 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART, mission. DART is NASA’s first flight demonstration for planetary defense. The mission seeks to test and validate a method to protect Earth in case of an asteroid impact threat. The mission aims to shift an asteroid’s orbit through kinetic impact — specifically, by impacting a spacecraft into the smaller member of the binary asteroid system Didymos to change its orbital speed. Instantaneous Launch Window: 1:58 a.m.…
Find out more »Starlink Falcon 9 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a group of Starlink internet satellites. Launch Time: TBD, 2021
Find out more »December 2021
SpaceX CRS 24 Falcon 9 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a Dragon 2 spacecraft on its fourth cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. The flight is the 24th mission by SpaceX conducted under a Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA. Launch Time: TBD, 2021
Find out more »ISS 66S Soyuz Launch
A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the crewed Soyuz MS-20 spacecraft to the International Space Station on a 12-day flight with cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin and space tourists Yusaku Maezawa and Yozo Hirano. The rocket will fly in the Soyuz-2.1a configuration. Instantaneous Launch Window: TBD, 2021
Find out more »Geminid Meteor Shower Peak (Geminids)
The meteors from this shower are slow moving. The shower is thought to be intensifying every year and recent showers have seen 120–160 meteors per hour under optimal conditions, generally around 02:00 to 03:00 local time.
Find out more »IXPE Falcon 9 Launch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. IXPE exploits the polarization state of light from astrophysical sources to provide insight into our understanding of X-ray production in objects such as neutron stars and pulsar wind nebulae, as well as stellar and supermassive black holes. Launch Time: TBD
Find out more »James Webb Space Telescope Ariane 5 Launch
Arianespace used an Ariane 5 ECA rocket, designated VA256, to launch the James Webb Space Telescope, a flagship observatory developed by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. JWST is the largest space telescope ever built, with a deployable mirror measuring 21.3 feet (6.5 meters) in diameter and four scientific instruments to observe the universe in infrared wavelengths. The mission will study the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets. The Ariane 5 ECA rocket will launch JWST…
Find out more »Ursid Meteor Shower Peak (Ursids)
The Ursid (URS) meteor shower is named for its radiant point which is located near the star Beta Ursae Minoris (Kochab) in the constellation Ursa Minor. The Ursids are associated with Comet 8P/Tuttle, also sometimes known as Mechain-Tuttle's Comet. Peak meteor shower activity: December 21-22
Find out more »SSLV Demonstration Launch
India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) will launch on its first orbital test flight. Consisting of three solid-fueled stages and a liquid-fueled upper stage, the SSLV is a new Indian launch vehicle designed to carry small satellites into low Earth orbit. Launch Time: TBD Launch Date: Q4 2021
Find out more »BlackSky Global SSLV Launch
India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) will launch on its first commercial mission with four Earth observation satellites for BlackSky Global, a Seattle-based company. The rideshare mission for BlackSky is being arranged by Spaceflight. Launch Time: TBD Launch Date: Q4 2021
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