Five orbital launches are planned for the week. China will initiate the schedule with a Chang Zheng 8A on Sept. 23 from Wenchang, followed by a Chang Zheng 6A on Sept. 24 from Taiyuan. Both missions carry unspecified payloads.
Rocket Lab will launch an Electron rocket from New Zealand on Sept. 26. The mission will deploy a 100 kg StriX satellite for Synspective into low-Earth orbit. The Electron vehicle is a two-stage rocket with a liftoff thrust of 224 kN.
SpaceX is set to launch a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Sept. 26 to deliver a classified payload for the US Space Force. The first stage, B1100, will attempt recovery on a droneship after its 10th flight.
The Starship system is scheduled for its 14th flight test on Sept. 28 from Starbase, Texas. The mission will carry 26 Starlink v3 satellites to low-Earth orbit, marking the first operational deployment for the vehicle.
