Upcoming Orbital Launches: Rocket Lab, SpaceX, China, and ULA Missions in Focus

 "Exciting Week Ahead: Rocket Lab, SpaceX, China, and ULA Launches Taking Center Stage"

During a relatively quiet week for orbital launches, several missions are scheduled to take place. Rocket Lab conducted its first suborbital Electron mission, while SpaceX plans to launch the Satria satellite into geostationary transfer orbit. China is also set to launch an undisclosed payload, and the United Launch Alliance will carry out the penultimate Delta IV Heavy mission, designated NROL-68. Additionally, SpaceX will launch a Starlink mission. These launches represent attempts number 91 to 94 in 2023, indicating a launch frequency of approximately one every 1.85 days.

Rocket Lab's inaugural hypersonic accelerator suborbital test Electron (HASTE) mission took place on June 17. The mission aimed to prototype a hypersonic launch and enhance launch cadence while reducing costs. Although the details of the payload and its mass remain classified, Rocket Lab utilized its Electron launch vehicle with modified components for the HASTE missions, allowing for a payload capacity increase to 700 kilograms.

On June 18, SpaceX is scheduled to launch the Satria mission, deploying the Indonesian Ka-band high-throughput communications satellite to geostationary transfer orbit. The satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space, weighs approximately 5,000 kilograms and boasts a lifespan of around 15 years. Operated by Satelit Nusantara Tiga, Satria aims to provide extensive connectivity to numerous institutions and locations in Indonesia. The launch will utilize a Falcon 9 rocket, with the booster expected to land on SpaceX's autonomous spaceport drone ship, "A Shortfall of Gravitas," which was towed into the Atlantic Ocean by the vessel named "Doug."

China is preparing for an upcoming launch, with an unidentified payload set to be launched aboard a Chang Zheng 6 (CZ-6) rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The launch will mark the 13th CZ-6 launch and the 92nd orbital launch attempt of 2023.

The United Launch Alliance's first mission of the year, designated NROL-68, is scheduled for June 21. This classified mission will employ the Delta IV Heavy to place a satellite into geostationary Earth orbit. The launch was delayed due to an issue with a flight valve but has since been rescheduled.

Finally, SpaceX will conclude the week with the Starlink Group 5-12 mission. Using a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket, SpaceX plans to deploy 47 Starlink v1.5 satellites into an elliptical low-Earth orbit. These satellites will eventually raise their orbits to 530 kilometers with an inclination of 43.00 degrees. This launch signifies the beginning of the deployment of Starlink's second-generation constellation, as SpaceX shifts focus to the more advanced Starlink v2 Mini satellites, which will replace older v1.0 satellites. The launch will take SpaceX's total Starlink satellite count to 4,642, with 4,314 currently in orbit.