Launch Preview: Nine orbital launches scheduled from sites around the world

Date:
Tue, 15 Sep 2026 17:52:36 +0000

Description:
Nine orbital launches are scheduled worldwide this week. Two Falcon 9s are expected to deliver The post Launch Preview: Nine orbital launches scheduled from sites around the world appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================Nine orbital launches are scheduled worldwide this week. Two Falcon 9s are
expected to deliver payloads from California, while a Vega C will launch Sentinel-3C & FLEX from French Guiana. Five launches from China are also on the manifest, including a Gravity 1 from Orienspace, and a Soyuz 2.1b will deliver the Progress MS-35 cargo vehicle to the International Space Station (ISS).



Vega C | Sentinel-3C & FLEX

The first launch of the week was on a Vega C, launched from the Ensemble de Lancement Vega (ELV) launch complex at the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The medium-lift vehicle launched on a northerly trajectory at an instantaneous launch window at 01:21 UTC.

Vega C delivered two payloads developed by Thales Alenia Space to a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). This includes Sentinel-3C, a 1,143 kg Earth observation satellite developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) under the Copernicus program. The second payload, FLEX, also developed by ESA, will gather information about the health of the worlds plants.



The expendable vehicle features four stages and can deliver up to 2,300 kg to SSO. The first stage of the vehicle is a solid rocket motor, P120C, fueled by Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB), ammonium perchlorate (AP), and aluminum powder (Al). The second and third stages, Zefiro 40 and Zefiro 9,
are also solid rocket motors fueled by the same propellants. The fourth
stage, the Attitude & Vernier Upper Module (AVUM), utilizes Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) to deliver payloads to precise orbits.

ZhuQue-2E Block 2 | Unknown Payload

A ZhuQue-2E, developed by Landspace, launched from Site 96A at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China on Sept. 15. The medium-lift launch vehicle flew on a southerly trajectory during a 22-minute launch window that began at 6:18 UTC, with liftoff at 06:26 UTC. The vehicle launched to polar orbit to deliver ten communications satellites for the SpaceSail Polar Group.

ZhuQue-2E is a two-stage launch vehicle that produces a total of 3,312 kilonewtons (kN) of thrust at liftoff. The first stage is powered by four TQ-12A gas-generator cycle engines fueled by methane (CH4) and liquid oxygen (LOX). The second stage uses a single TQ-15 engine, which is also fueled by the same propellants.

The launch was the third mission for a ZhuQue-2 in 2026 and ninth overall.



Gravity 1 | Unknown Payload

Gravity 1, developed by Orienspace, is expected to launch from the Haiyang offshore launch location at the Haiyang Oriental Spaceport in China on Sept. 15. The vehicle is expected to launch during a 21-minute launch window beginning at 09:50 UTC, with a planned liftoff time of 09:55 UTC. Gravity 1 will launch on a southerly trajectory to deliver an unknown payload to low-Earth orbit (LEO).

Gravity 1, a four-stage vehicle, launches from a sea-launch platform in the Yellow Sea. The vehicle utilizes seven solid-rocket boosters during ascent, with four igniting at liftoff, followed by activation of a core booster once the first four detach. The upper stages also use solid rocket propellants,
and the vehicle has a total thrust of 5,880 kN at liftoff.

The mission will be the second launch of 2026 for Gravity 1 and the fourth overall for the vehicle.

Falcon 9 | USSF-259

The first SpaceX mission of the week is expected from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The four-hour launch window opens at 6:00 PM PDT, with Falcon 9 launching on a southerly trajectory to deliver the classified USSF-25 payload to an unknown orbit for the U.S. Space Force.

Falcon 9s first stage, B1097, will be on its 13th flight and will be
recovered by SpaceXs autonomous droneship Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific Ocean. The mission will be the 720th overall launch for SpaceX, and the 106th Falcon 9 mission of the year. Falcon 9 is vertical at pad 4E in California ahead of tonights launch of the USSF-259 mission https://t.co/L2HTgohXdK pic.twitter.com/JwV3pf2D2m

SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 15, 2026



Soyuz 2.1b | Progress MS-35

A Russian Soyuz 2.1b is scheduled to launch the Progress MS-35 mission from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan during an instantaneous launch window at 13:33:53 UTC on Sept. 16. The Soyuz vehicle will launch on a northeasterly trajectory to deliver the Progress MS-35 cargo vehicle to the International Space Station (ISS). Progress MS-35 will ultimately dock to the Poisk module on the Stations Russian segment.

Soyuz 2.1b is a three-stage medium-lift launch vehicle that utilizes four strap-on RD-107A engines that wrap around the second core stage powered by a single RD-108A engine fueled by kerosene (RP-1) and LOX. The third stage is powered by a single engine RD-0124 using the same propellants.

The mission will be the sixth Soyuz 2.1b mission of 2026 and the 105th
mission overall. Progress MS-35 during processing ahead of launch. (Credit: Roscosmos)

Chang Zheng 12 | Unknown Payload

A Chang Zheng 12 (CZ-12) will launch from Commercial Launch Complex 2 (LC-2) at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China on Thursday, Sept. 17. The vehicle will launch during a 29-minute launch window beginning at 12:25 UTC, with a planned liftoff time of 12:30 UTC. Chang Zheng 12 will launch on a southeasterly trajectory to deliver an unknown payload to an undisclosed orbit.

The two-stage medium-lift vehicle features a first stage powered by four YF-100K engines, fueled by RP-1 and LOX. The second stage utilizes two YF-115 engines also fueled by the same propellants. The 62-m vehicle can deliver up to 12,000 kg to LEO and has a total liftoff thrust of 5,000 kN.

Kuaizhou 11 | Unknown Payload

A Kuaizhou 11 is expected to launch from Site 95A at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China on Sept. 17. The vehicle will launch on a
southeasterly trajectory to an undisclosed orbit to deliver an unspecified payload during a 41-minute launch window beginning at 02:31 UTC, with a planned liftoff time of 02:35 UTC.

The four-stage Kuaizhou 11 is a 25.3-m tall vehicle capable of delivering up to 1,500 kg to LEO. The mission will be the third mission of 2026 and the seventh mission overall for Kuaizhou 11. Kuaizhou 11 lifts off from Jiuquan. (Credit: CASIC)

Chang Zheng 2D | Unknown Payload

The final international launch of the week is a Chang Zheng 2D (CZ-2D), expected to liftoff from Launch Complex 9 (LC-9) at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China on Saturday, Sept. 19. The launch has a planned
liftoff time of 10:50 UTC during a 23-minute launch window that begins at 10:43 UTC. The vehicle will launch on a southerly trajectory to deliver an unspecified payload to an unknown orbit.

The CZ-2D, developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology
Corporation (CASC), is a two-stage medium-lift launch vehicle capable of delivering 3,500 kg to LEO. The first stage is powered by four YF-21C gas-generator-cycle engines fueled by UDMH and N2O4, while the second stage uses a single YF-24C engine fueled by the same propellants.

Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 15-27

The final launch of the week is a Falcon 9 expected to liftoff from SLC-4E at Vandenberg on Saturday, Sept. 19. The four-hour window begins at 6:47 PM PDT, with the vehicle launching on a southeasterly trajectory into a LEO inclined at 70 degrees. Falcon 9 will deliver 27 Starlink v2 Mini satellites as part
of the companys internet mega-constellation.

Falcon booster B1093, flying on its 17th mission, will support the mission, ultimately landing atop Of Course I Still Love You downrange in the Pacific Ocean after launch. The mission will be Falcon 9s 690th launch and the 107th of the year. Furthermore, this mission will serve as the 225th orbital launch attempt worldwide in 2026.

(Lead Image: Falcon 9 launch streak. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)



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the world appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/09/launch-preview-091526/


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