Space Calendar July 2022: The month of July is full of spaceflight activities, rocket launches, and astronomical events. NASA, along with several aerospace firms including SpaceX, Arianespace and United Launch Alliance are launching their spacecraft into the skies in the month of July.
Here is the list of some of the space launches taking place this month.
July 7: First Flight Of Vega C
Vega C is a European Space Agency (ESA) program that will further solidify Arianspace's market position for small satellite launches to low-Earth orbit (LEO). Arianspace is a French company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider, and undertakes the operation and marketing of the Ariane programme, a mission that has been leading Europe to the forefront of space transportation for over 40 years.
Vega C, which is an upgraded and more powerful version of the current Vega launch vehicle, will blast off into space on July 7, from Ensemble de Lancement Ariane 1 (ELA-1), a launch pad in French Guiana.
Vega C will carry a number of payloads including Italian Space Agency's LARES 2 (Laser Relativity Satellite) and Sapienza University of Rome's AstroBio CubeSat. Vega C is a flexible launch system that can be adapted for a broad range of missions from nanosatellites to larger optical and radar observation spacecraft.
According to Arianespace, the payload capacity to Sun-synchronous Earth orbit at 700 kilometres has increased from about 1,500 kilograms with the current Vega configuration to 2,200 kilograms on Vega C.
July 7: Starlink Launch
SpaceX will launch 53 Starlink satellites atop Falcon 9 Block 5, a partially reusable two-stage launch vehicle, from Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. Starlink is a SpaceX initiative to create a global Broadband network by using a constellation of LEO satellites, and provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet across the globe.
July 8: Starlink Launch
On July 8, SpaceX will launch 53 Starlink satellites atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. This is the first dedicated mission deploying Starlink satellites to Sun-synchronous orbit.
July 10: Starlink Launch
On July 10, SpaceX will launch 53 Starlink satellites atop a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station or Kennedy Space Center.
July 15: SpaceX CR-25 Mission
NASA's SpaceX CR-25 is the 25th SpaceX cargo resupply services mission carrying scientific research and technology demonstrations to the International Space Station. It is scheduled to launch on July 15, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft will carry scientific experiments including studies of the immune system, Earth's oceans and soil communities. The spacecraft will be launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket and will carry a payload called BeaverCube. This is a small satellite developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which uses multiple cameras, one that takes colour images of Earth's oceans and two that collect thermal images of cloud tops and the ocean surface. The Dragon will also carry the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT), a technology to measure the mineral composition of dust in Earth's arid regions.
As many as five CubeSats, namely MIT's BeaverCube, The Weiss School's CapSat 1, NASA Ames Research Center's CLICK A, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's D3, and University of South Alabama's JAGSAT will be launched as part of the ELaNa 45 mission. This is a part of the SpaceX CR-25 mission.
July 17: Firefly Alpha Mission
On July 17, Alpha, the world's most advanced 1,000 kilogram-small satellite launch vehicle, will be launched into space. Alpha is developed by American private aerospace firm Firefly Aerospace.
Alpha offers the highest payload capacity for the lowest cost per kilogram in its vehicle class, Firefly said on its website. It is a two-stage expendable launch vehicle intended to provide launch options for both vehicle and ride share customers.
The Firefly Alpha mission will lift off on July 17, from Space Launch Complex 2, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The spacecraft will carry educational payloads including Stanford University's Sapling 1 and California Polytechnic State University's Spinnaker3. This mission is Alpha's second orbital launch, and will carry more deployable educational payloads.
July 23: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation Mission
On July 23, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation will launch Wentian, the first module to extend the existing Tianhe core module of the Tiangong space station. Wentian, officially known as the Wentian laboratory cabin module, will provide additional navigation avionics, propulsion and orientation control as backup functions for the Tianhe Core Module. The Wentian laboratory module provides a pressurised environment for researchers to conduct science experiments in zero gravity which could not be conducted on Earth.
Wentian is the first laboratory cabin module of the Tiangong space station. It will be launched from Wenchang Space Launch Site located in Wenchang, China.
July 31: United Launch Alliance Mission
On July 31, American spacecraft launch service provider United Launch Alliance (ULA) will launch Atlas V from Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Atlas V, which is an expendable launch vehicle, will carry two payloads, namely SBIRS GEO-6 and EZIO into geosynchronous Earth orbit. The Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) is a United States Space Force system intended to meet the infrared space surveillance needs of the US through the first two to three decades of the 21st century. SBIRS GEO-6 is the sixth geosynchronous satellite of the Space-Based Infrared System program. It will provide capabilities for early missile warning and missile defence.
Other missions to be launched in July, the dates for which are yet to be announced, include spaceflight launches by Chinese private space launch enterprise Galactic Energy, SpaceX, and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.