This Week In Launches: Packed week of SpaceX flights

This week we have four launches from SpaceX and from both coats. Not just that, but two of the launches this week will feature RTLS landings. That means only one thing, non-Starlink launches!

This week’s launches:

• November 7
  • SpaceX Falcon 9 Starlink Group 6-27, 11:00 P.M. ET
    • SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
• November 9
  • CASC Long March 3B/E Unknown Payload, 6:30 A.M. ET
    • LC-2, Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China
  • SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter 9, 10:47 A.M. PT
    • SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
  • SpaceX Falcon 9 CRS-29, 8:28 P.M. ET
    • LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida
• November 12
  • SpaceX Falcon 9 O3b mPower 5 & 6, 4:08 P.M. ET
    • SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida

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SpaceX reschedules launch of ISS resupply flight

Last week we talked about SpaceX launching its 29th resupply mission to the International Space Station. Well this week we’re talking about it again because it was delayed. For unknown reasons SpaceX pushed back the CRS-29 flight for NASA from November 4 to now being November 12.

The launch will liftoff from LC-39A and will feature an uncrewed Dragon spacecraft filled with supplies. The delay could have been anything from rocket or Dragon issues, crew readiness on the station, or with something that will be inside the Dragon spacecraft.

Whatever the issue may be, we haven’t heard of any possible further delays. We don’t know how weather will be yet for launch day but reading Starlink Group 6-27’s report, the weather looks great the day before. So hopefully that continues throughout the week.

A packed Thursday for spaceflight

This Thursday will be a busy one for anyone that follows rocket launches from Earth. SpaceX will be doing a coast-to-coast double feature of both launches and RTLS landings. But the day will start off with China launching a Long March 3 rocket with an unknown payload.

SpaceX’s first launch of the day will be a SmallSat ride share mission. These missions have been causing chaos for the dedicated SmallSat launch market as companies like Rocket Lab and future contenders simply cannot compete on cost. Transporter-9 as it’s named, will fly to a Sun-synchronous orbit, a downside to ride shares being you don’t get to choose your own orbit.

The expected 109 satellites that have been packed inside the Falcon 9 payload fairing will take a few hours to deploy once it reaches its orbit. By that time, the fist stage booster will have already landed back on land at LZ-4.

Later that day, SpaceX will launch CRS-29 for NASA, which we discussed earlier. That mission too will feature a RTLS landing, this time at LZ-1 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.