Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 to fly five missions during busy week

Date:
Mon, 31 Mar 2025 22:07:55 +0000

Description:
Five Falcon 9 missions are scheduled to launch this week, including the first-ever crewed mission The post Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 to fly five missions during busy week appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Five Falcon 9 missions are scheduled to launch this week, including the first-ever crewed mission to a polar orbit and several Starlink missions. Internationally, China is expected to launch two missions.

The week will kick off with the Falcon 9 launching Starlink Group 6-80 into low-Earth orbit on Monday. Approximately six hours later, SpaceXs next
private human spaceflight mission, Fram2, is set to lift off from Florida. Then, on April 1, China will launch its Chang Zheng 2D rocket, and SpaceX
will launch Starlink Group 11-13 later that evening. Finally, SpaceX will close out the week with the launch of two Falcon 9s for the Starlink Group 11-11 and Starlink Group 6-72 missions on April 4 and April 6, respectively.



Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 6-80

SpaceX is starting the week with the launch of Starlink Group 6-80 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida. Falcon 9 is scheduled to lift off at 3:32 PM EDT (19:32 UTC) on
March 31 after a scrub on March 30 that halted the mission just under 40 minutes before launch. Booster B1080 will carry 28 Starlink v2 Mini Optimized satellites on a southeastern trajectory to a 275 by 285 km orbit inclined 43 degrees. The appetizer before the main course, a Falcon 9 carrying the Starlink 6-80 mission with a record 28 v2 mini satellites!

Next up: Fram2 sending crew around Earth's poles. pic.twitter.com/Esck2YlEyF

Sawyer R. (@thenasaman) March 31, 2025



This is the first time Optimized Starlink satellites have been launched from the east coast. This is B1080s 17th flight following a 41-day turnaround for refurbishment and preparation for launch. After delivering the Starlink satellites, it will land in the Atlantic Ocean on SpaceXs droneship Just Read the Instructions.

Falcon 9 | Fram2

The headline mission for this week is the Fram2 mission, which will be the first mission to take humans to a 90-degree polar orbit from Florida, flying them directly over the polar regions of Earth. The mission is set to launch
at 9:46 PM EDT on March 31 (1:46 UTC on April 1) from the historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Mission commander Chun Wang, vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen, pilot
Rabea Rogge, and mission specialist and medical officer Eric Philips will fly onboard Crew Dragon Resilience . This Crew Dragon previously supported the Crew 1, Inspiration4, and Polaris Dawn missions before Fram2. Falcon 9 and Resilience on LC-39A ahead of the Fram2 mission. (Credit: Sawyer Rosenstein for NSF)

Falcon booster B1085 will fly on this mission, marking its sixth mission to space. It will fly toward Cuba before landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas . The second stage will then continue over Cuba and Panama, barely flying over the western edge of South America on its way to orbit.

A total of 22 research experiments and studies are expected to be conducted
in orbit during this mission. Some of these studies include taking the first human X-ray images from space, studying how mushrooms grow in space, and various human health investigations and exercises. This research could help future missions better understand the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body and how to maintain good health while in microgravity.

Fram2 is expected to remain in orbit for just under 87 hours; however, this duration may vary depending on ocean conditions at the landing location. Resilience will return to the Pacific Ocean along the California coast, where SpaceXs capsule recovery vessel, MV Shannon , will bring the astronauts home.



Chang Zheng 2D | Unknown Payload

China is launching the first of two missions this week from Site 9401 (SLS-2) at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on April 1. The mission window opens
at 3:52 UTC and lasts until 4:29 UTC, with launch expected at 4:00 UTC.

The mission and payload launching on Chang Zheng 2D are currently unknown. However, more information regarding the payload may be released after the launch. This will mark Chang Zheng 2Ds third mission of 2025.

Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 11-13

On April 1 at 4:39 PM PDT (23:39 UTC), Falcon 9 will launch the Starlink
Group 11-13 mission from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB). The payload for this mission consists of 22 Starlink v2 Mini satellites. The satellites will fly on a southeastern trajectory to an inclined orbit of 53.17 degrees, with an initial orbit of 274 by 284 km.

The booster for this mission is currently unknown. However, the booster will land on SpaceXs autonomous droneship, Of Course I Still Love You , downrange in the Pacific Ocean.



Chang Zheng 6 | Unknown Payload

What could be one of Chang Zheng 6s final missions is expected to launch on April 3 from Launch Complex 16 (LC-16) at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China. The launch window opens at 2:04 UTC and closes at 2:36 UTC, with an anticipated launch at 2:10 UTC.

As usual, Chang Zheng 6s mission and payload remain unknown, but both will likely become clear throughout the coming week. This is Chang Zheng 6s 25th mission, and it is rumored to be retiring this month, potentially making this its final launch.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 11-11

Starlink Group 11-11 is scheduled to launch from SLC-4E at VSFB no earlier than April 4 at 3:42 PM PDT (22:42 UTC). This launch will carry a batch of Starlink v2 Mini satellites on a southeastern trajectory to a 53-degree inclination orbit.



The booster for this mission remains unknown. The droneship, Of Course I
Still Love You , will recover the booster downrange from the launch site in the Pacific Ocean. If schedules hold, this launch and landing will come just three days after Starlink Group 11-13.

Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 6-72

Falcon 9s final mission for this week is the Starlink Group 6-72 mission to low-Earth orbit. Falcon 9 is expected to launch from SLC-40 at the CCSFS no earlier than 10:40 PM EDT on April 5 (2:40 UTC on April 6).

A batch of Starlink v2 Mini Optimized satellites will fly on a southeastern trajectory to an orbit inclined 43 degrees. The booster and droneship supporting this mission are not yet known.

(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches from Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF
)



The post Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 to fly five missions during busy week appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/03/launch-roundup-033125/


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Science News (1337:1/100)