The Space Traffic Report: Starlink, ISS docking, and upcoming Falcon 9 & Kuiper launches

Date:
Fri, 11 Jul 2025 20:30:49 +0000

Description:
This past week marked a relatively quiet period for orbital launches, but there was still The post The Space Traffic Report: Starlink, ISS docking, and upcoming Falcon 9 & Kuiper launches appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

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

This past week marked a relatively quiet period for orbital launches, but there was still plenty of movement above Earth from a new batch of Starlink satellites joining the constellation, to supply missions coming and going
from two different space stations.

Heres your weekly rundown of what moved in orbit and what to watch for in the coming days.





Falcon 9 launch: Starlink Group 10-28 SpaceX was the only operator to launch this week, sending up another batch of its Starlink internet satellites. Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) in Florida at 08:21 UTC on July 8th, carrying 28 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into low-Earth orbit (LEO).

With this mission, the total number of Starlink satellites launched rises to 9,165. Of these, 1,197 have reentered Earths atmosphere, while 7,028 are currently in operational orbits.

Progress MS-31 docks to the ISS While only one rocket launch occurred this week, orbital operations remained busy. On July 5th at 21:25 UTC, Progress MS-31 successfully docked to the Poisk module of the International Space Station (ISS), two days after launching from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The uncrewed spacecraft brought three tons of fuel, water, hardware, and scientific experiments. Its expected to stay at the station for approximately six months.

Tianzhou 8 departs Chinas Tiangong station Over at Chinas Tiangong space station, Tianzhou 8 completed its mission. After eight months attached to the Tianhe module, the cargo spacecraft undocked at 07:09 UTC on July 8th. Filled with several tonnes of waste, it was deorbited and burned up later that evening at 22:46 UTC.

This undocking clears the way for the arrival of Tianzhou 9, expected to launch in the coming week.

Next Week in Spaceflight

A quiet week is about to give way to a packed schedule of upcoming missions across the globe:

Tianzhou 9 launch (China) Following Tianzhou 8s departure, Tianzhou 9 is set to launch to Tiangong on July 14th around 21:40 UTC, carrying fresh supplies and a new round of cargo experiments.

Multiple Falcon 9 missions (SpaceX) Several Starlink launches are expected from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, along with two customer missions from Florida. One mission may carry the DH-ROR-1 Israeli communications satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit. The other is scheduled to launch satellites for Amazons Project Kuiper, SpaceXs direct competitor in the satellite internet sector.

Gilmour Spaces Eris launch (Australia) In the southern hemisphere, Gilmour Space Technologies is targeting a long-awaited test flight of its Eris
rocket. The next launch window opens on July 15th at 21:30 UTC.

Axiom Mission 4 crew return In orbit, the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) mission is preparing for its return to Earth. Crew Dragon Grace , with its four-person crew, is currently scheduled to depart the ISS as early as July 14th at 11:05 UTC. Splashdown off the coast of California is expected roughly 22 hours later, though the exact timing will depend on orbital dynamics.

Stay Updated As always, launch times and mission details can shift so to stay on top of all the latest, be sure to check the Next Spaceflight website or app .

For more NSF Video News Briefs, check out our new YouTube channel BREAKINGspace.

(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches into the morning Florida skies. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)



The post The Space Traffic Report: Starlink, ISS docking, and upcoming Falcon 9 & Kuiper launches appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story:
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/07/tstr-071125/


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