https://bsky.app/profile/andrewjonesspace.bsky.social/post/3ltzckxofmk2q

The joint European Space Agency (ESA) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) SMILE mission to study the Sun–Earth connection is ready for space after a series of tests. Launch in 2026.

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Smile/Smile_passes_gruelling_set_of_tests

| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2025-07-16, 06:30 | |

|

| | Scheduled for (local) | 2025-07-16, 02:30 (EDT) | | Launch site | SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA | | Booster | B1096-1 | | Landing | A Shortfall of Gravitas | | Payload | 24 Kuiper Satellites | | Payload mass | unknown | | Customer | Amazon Kuiper Systems | | Target orbit | LEO |

Webcasts

| Stream | Link | |

|

| | Space Affairs | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvUpLlJAOR0 | | Spaceflight Now | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSU2vax533M | | NASASpaceflight | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIav83YfugE | | The Launch Pad | https://www.youtube.com/@TheLaunchPad/streams | | SpaceX | | | The Space Devs | https://www.youtube.com/@thespacedevs/videos |

Stats

Sourced from NextSpaceflight and r/SpaceX:

☑️ First launch of B1096

☑️ 42nd launch from SLC-40 this year

☑️ 3 days, 1:26:00 turnaround for this pad

☑️ 118th landing on ASOG

☑️ 481st Falcon family booster landing, 493rd Falcon recovery attempt

☑️ 87th Falcon 9 mission of 2025, 505th Falcon 9 mission overall

☑️ 90th SpaceX mission of 2025, 530th overall (excluding Starship hops)

☑️ 90th SpaceX launch of 2025, 540th overall (including Starship hops)

Mission info

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight mission page

Project Kuiper is a mega constellation of satellites in Low Earth Orbit that will offer broadband internet access managed by Kuiper Systems LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon. This constellation is planned to be composed of 3,236 satellites. The satellites are projected to be placed in 98 orbital planes in three orbital layers, one at 590 km, 610 km, and 630 km altitude.

Starlink Group 15-2 launch out of SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California is currently scheduled for 2025-07-16 02:05 UTC, or 2025-07-15 19:05 local time (PDT). Booster 1093-4 to land on Of Course I Still Love You.

• SpaceX mission page
• NextSpaceflight page

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4C5Dqu9-no
• Spaceflight Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXqHq7yNStY
• NASASpaceflight: none
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi2JHk-WvB4
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1945302037908045897
• The Space Devs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuBmb7rnRqc

https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1944922989881123214

Dragon and the @Axiom_Space Ax-4 crew are on track to reenter Earth’s atmosphere and splash down off the coast of San Diego at ~2:31 a.m. PT tomorrow.

Dragon will also announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom prior to splashing down in the Pacific Ocean

Webcasts:

• Space Affairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaK-tV3LbTc
• NASASpaceflight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gM7Bs80iUU
• The Launch Pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X00eO_hLeWU
• SpaceX: https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1945037448406557059

| Scheduled for (UTC) | 2025-07-14, 21:34 | |

|

| | Scheduled for (local) | 2025-07-15, 05:34 (CST) | | Launch provider | CALT / CASC | | Launch vehicle | Long March 7 | | Launch site | LC-201, Wenchang Space Launch Site, China | | Payloads | Tianzhou 9 |

Webcasts:

• International Rocket Launches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD3Y_9AyEsg

Stats:

☑️ 3rd Long March 7 mission this year, 20th overall

Sourced from NextSpaceflight

The Tianzhou (Chinese: 天舟; lit. 'Heavenly Ship') is a Chinese automated cargo spacecraft developed from China's first prototype space station Tiangong-1 to resupply the Chinese Space Station.

Classically, the Tianzhou space freighter consists of two sub-assemblies: the service module in which the propulsion, energy system, and various equipment necessary for the operation of the spacecraft are located, and the orbital module containing the cargo.

The service module is similar to the service module of Tiangong 1 with some modifications: a larger number of propellant tanks, and a more powerful propulsion system. The module is 3.3 meters long and has a diameter of 2.8 meters. The main propulsion used for orbital maneuvers consists of 4 rocket engines with a unit thrust of 490 newtons.

The cargo module is 5 meters long and has in its basic version a pressurized bunker to transport cargo with a volume of 15 m3. The front part is equipped with an APAS-type hatch that allows electrical connections to be made, as well as 4 pipelines used to transfer fluids to the space station's tanks.