Space Traffic Report: Busy Week for Falcon 9: TRACERS, Starlink & O3b Satellites!

Date:
Fri, 25 Jul 2025 21:05:10 +0000

Description:
This weeks launches predominantly featured SpaceXs Falcon 9, beginning with a Starlink mission from Vandenberg, The post Space Traffic Report: Busy Week
for Falcon 9: TRACERS, Starlink & O3b Satellites! appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================This weeks launches predominantly featured SpaceXs Falcon 9, beginning with a Starlink mission from Vandenberg, followed by the O3b mPOWER satellites for SES from Florida, and concluding with NASAs TRACERS and accompanying payloads from Vandenberg. The Soyuz 2.1b rounded out the week, completing the Ionosfera-M constellation.



Falcon 9 Launch of Starlink Group 17-3

The week kicked off with SpaceX launching its Starlink Group 17-3 mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff occurred on July 19th at 03:53 UTC from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base. LAUNCH! SpaceX Falcon 9 B1082-14 launches Starlink Group 17-3 from SLC-4E, Vandenberg.

Overview: https://t.co/VKFnrJWvtJ pic.twitter.com/2v9oUk0URn

NSF NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) July 19, 2025



The rocket deployed 24 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit, marking the second operational launch of Starlink v2 Mini satellites into polar orbit, enhancing internet coverage for users in higher latitudes. The missions booster, B1082, successfully completed its fourteenth flight, landing on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You. Falcon 9 Launch of O3b mPOWER D

On July 22nd at 21:12 UTC, SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida. This mission carried two O3b mPOWER satellites into Medium-Earth Orbit. Built by Boeing and operated by SES, these
satellites are part of the second generation of SESs O3b constellation.
Falcon 9 making pretty vapor cones over Florida via @dwisecinema on the NSF launch stream: https://t.co/Q7uoXHJoHH pic.twitter.com/lG871BZfLy

NSF NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) July 22, 2025



Originally intended to include three satellites, technical issues with
earlier satellites caused adjustments to the mission plan. Booster B1090, on its sixth flight, successfully returned to Earth, landing on SpaceXs
droneship Just Read The Instructions. Falcon 9 Launch of TRACERS and
Rideshare Missions

Closing out the Falcon 9 launches for the week, SpaceX launched NASAs TRACERS mission alongside eight other payloads into Sun-Synchronous Orbit on July
23rd at 18:13 UTC from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The TRACERS mission, comprising two satellites, studies magnetic reconnectiona process where
Earths magnetic field lines disconnect and reconnect, potentially causing auroras and affecting ground-based electrical systems. This mission is led by David Miles from the University of Iowa, historically linked to physicist James Van Allen of the Van Allen radiation belts. LAUNCH! SpaceX Falcon 9 B1081-16 launches NASA TRACERS Mission from SLC-4E, Vandenberg. @NASASpaceflight Overview: https://t.co/3huL5YmAIB pic.twitter.com/TilDsK9X5w

Elisar Priel (@ENNEPS) July 23, 2025



Rideshare payloads included NASAs REAL instrument studying particle loss from the Van Allen belts and Bard, built by York Space Systems, featuring the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) for satellite communication interoperability. Other payloads included NovaWurkss Athena, Tyvaks LIDE spacecraft, and four Skykraft-4 constellation satellites.

Initially delayed due to an FAA air traffic control disruption from a power outage, the launch succeeded the next day, marking the sixteenth flight for booster B1081, which landed at Landing Zone 4.

Soyuz 2.1b Launch of Ionosfera-M Satellites

Wrapping up the week, a Soyuz 2.1b rocket launched on July 25th at 05:54 UTC from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia. This mission carried two Ionosfera-M satellites, completing Russias four-satellite constellation designed to measure Earths ionosphere and magnetosphere. Accompanying the primary payload were 18 cubesat rideshares, including an experimental Iranian communications satellite. Looking Ahead: Upcoming Missions

Next week promises continued excitement with up to four Starlink launches.
The European Vega C rocket will also carry CNESs Constellation Optique en 3D (CO3D) satellites for high-detail Earth mapping and the MicroCarb satellite for global carbon dioxide monitoring.

Indias GSLV Mark II is set to launch the collaborative NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, aimed at detailed Earth observations. Meanwhile, Australias Gilmour Space plans its maiden flight of the Eris
rocket after previous delays.

Additionally, SpaceX will conduct the Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station, scheduled no earlier than July 31st. This will mark the sixth flight of Crew Dragon Endeavour, setting a new record for Dragon capsule reuse. The crew includes NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke,
JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.

China may launch its returning Hyperbola 1 rocket, additional Guowang
internet satellites, and the United States could see a HASTE mission from Wallops, Virginia, carrying a secretive hypersonic payload.

As always, launch dates are subject to change. Stay updated by visiting nextspaceflight.com or downloading the mobile app .

Report by Elysia Segal for NSFs BREAKINGSpace. Written by Alejandro Alcantarilla Romera. Lead image: Roscosmos.



The post Space Traffic Report: Busy Week for Falcon 9: TRACERS, Starlink &
O3b Satellites! appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/07/space-report-tracers-starlink-o3b/


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