SpaceX Set to Launch NASA's PACE Mission, Starlink Satellites Tonight
SpaceX will launch NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 1:33 a.m. EST (06:33 UTC). The launch of the satellite will be conducted from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA+ and NASA Television will broadcast the launch starting 45 minutes before to liftoff.
Scientists will use PACE’s data to better understand the exchange of carbon dioxide between the ocean and atmosphere. You can read more about it here.
Prior to launching the PACE mission, SpaceX will attempt to place 22 Starlink satellites into orbit on Monday, Feb. 5 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
There is no reference to the launch time on SpaceX’s website. Other reliable sources put the launch as taking place from 6:00-10:29 p.m. PST (9:00 p.m. - 1:29 a.m. EST, 02:00-06:29 UTC). SpaceX usually webcasts its launches starting five minutes prior to liftoff.
The weather in California continues to be stormy as an atmospheric river has turned the state into a swamp. So, it’s possible the launch could be postponed.
Upcoming Launches
Feb. 5 - Falcon 9 - SpaceX - 22 Starlink - SpaceX - Communications - Vandenberg - USA
Feb. 6 - Falcon 9 - SpaceX - Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) - NASA - Earth observation - Cape Canaveral - USA
Feb. 10 - Falcon 9 - SpaceX - 23 Starlink - SpaceX - Communications - Cape Canaveral - USA
NET Feb. 14 - Falcon 9 - SpaceX - IM-1 Odysseus, DOGE-1 - Intuitive Machines, Geometric Energy Corp. - Lunar lander, lunar orbiter - Kennedy - USA
Feb. 15 - H3 - JAXA - Mass Simulator, CE-SAT-IE, TIRSAT - JAXA, Canon Electronics (CE-SAT-IE), Seiren Co. (TIRSAT) - Earth observation - Tanegashima - Japan
Feb. 15 - Soyuz-2.1a - Roscosmos - Progress MS-26/87P - Roscosmos - ISS resupply - Baikonur - Kazakhstan
Feb. 17 - GSLV Mk II - ISRO - INSAT-3DS - INSAT - Communications - Satish Dhawan - India
SpaceX is scheduled to launch Houston-based Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander on a mission to the Moon no earlier than Feb. 14. The spacecraft will carry five payloads for NASA under a contract awarded under the space agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The lander is targeted to touch down at the Malapert A crater near the lunar south pole.
The IM-1 mission will also carry the ILO-X telescope for the International Lunar Observatory Association of Hawaii. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s EagleCam will be ejected during the descent of Nova-C in an attempt to record the landing.
If the mission is successful, Intuitive Machines would become the first private company to land a spacecraft on the Moon. Astrobotic Technology’s Peregrine lander failed after launch earlier this month due to a faulty valve. SpaceIL of Israel and ispace of Japan saw their landers crash into the Moon in 2019 and 2023, respectively.
JAXA will attempt to launch its new H3 rocket for the second time on Feb. 15. The booster crashed on its maiden flight last year when its second stage failed to fire. H3 is designed to replace the H-IIA booster.
Recent Launches
While SpaceX has spent the last six years launching 5,806 Starlink broadband satellites, China’s large constellations have been mostly in the planning stages. That is beginning to change.
On Feb. 2, Long March 2C rocket launched 11 GeeSat-2 spacecraft from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. It was the second launch of satellites for the Geely Future Mobility Constellation; the first nine spacecraft, designed as GeeSAT-1, were placed in orbit last June.
“Geespace’s GeeSAT-1 are the first modular, high-resilience, high-performance, mass-produced low-orbit satellites in China,” Geely Holding said in a press release. “They will provide centimetre accurate precise positioning and connectivity support for use by automotive brands in the Geely Holding portfolio, enabling true, safe autonomous driving that will connect vehicles with vehicles and infrastructure with vehicles to realise true autonomous driving.”
The constellation will consist of 240 satellites, with the first 72 spacecraft scheduled to be in orbit by 2025.
Recent Launches
Jan. 30 - Falcon 9 - SpaceX - Cygnus NG-20 - Northrop Grumman - ISS resupply - Kennedy - USA
Jan. 31 - Electron - Rocket Lab - 4 Skylark - Spire Global/NorthStar - Space situational awareness - Mahia - New Zealand
Feb. 2 - Long March 2C - China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation - 11 GeeSAT-2 - Geespace - Navigation, communications - Xichang - China
Feb. 3 - Jielong 3 (Smart Dragon 3) - China Rocket - Zhixing-2A (SmartSat-2A), DRO-L, Dongfanghuiyan-GF01, Weihai-1 01 & 02, Xingshidai-18, Xingshidai-19, Xingshidai-20, NEXSAT-1 - Multiple - Earth observation (5), Technology demonstration (4) - South China Sea - China
Rocket Lab’s first Electron launch of 2024 placed four Skylark satellites to monitor orbital debris. The company recovered the first stage from the Pacific Ocean.
SpaceX launched Cygnus NG-20 resupply ship to the International Space Station on Jan. 30. It was the first of three Cygnus launches SpaceX is scheduled to launch as Northrop Grumman works with Firefly Aerospace to develop a new version of the Antares rocket. The previous version featured a first stage built in Ukraine powered by two Russian engines. Northrop lost access to these elements after the Russian invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
China Rocket launched the Jielong 3 (Smart Dragon 3) booster on a rideshare mission with nine satellites aboard. Five spacecraft are designed for remote sensing, and four others will demonstrate technologies.
Launch Statistics
American companies have launched half of the 24 launches completed this year. Chinese companies are not far behind with eight successful launches.
SpaceX led the world with 10 Falcon 9 launches to date. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. is in second place with three flights, followed by ExPace with two. A total of five Chinese companies have conducted successful launches this year.
Twelve launch vehicles from five nations have combined for 14 launches in 2024.
Florida leads the world with seven launches, five from Cape Canaveral and two from the adjoining Kennedy Space Center. Vandenberg is second place worldwide with four launches.
The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center leads all Chinese spaceport with three launches followed by Xichang with two flights. China has picked up the pace on water launches with one from the South China Sea and the other from the Yellow Sea.