Launches

The Ariane 6 rocket blasting off in its maiden flight (Image courtesy ESA)

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A few hours ago the Ariane 6 rocket was launched from the base in French Guiana and conducted its maiden mission in the version with two side boosters. Over the course of approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes, the various phases of the flight were conducted, which among other things tested the great innovation of this rocket which consists of the possibility of restarting the Vinci engine which powers the upper stage. This new possibility allows it to place satellites in different orbits in the same mission.

Super Heavy 11 and Starship 29 after blasting off (Image courtesy SpaceX)

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SpaceX conducted a new flight test of its Super Heavy rocket and Starship prototypes, launched from its base in Boca Chica, Texas. This is the fourth test involving the entire system of Elon Musk’s company which is supposed to revolutionize space travel with an unprecedented transport capacity and being totally reusable. In this case, however, they are prototypes with the Super Heavy identified as Booster 11 and the Starship identified as Starship 29 or Ship29 or simply S29. Each test leads to new changes to the vehicles’ systems and this happened after the third test conducted on March 14, 2024, as well. The vehicles still don’t meet the safety requirements needed to conduct controlled landings, so plans continue to call for the test to end with the splashdown of both vehicles.

The CST-100 Starliner Calypso spacecraft blasting off atop an Atlas V rocket (Image NASA)

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A little while ago, Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner Calypso spacecraft blasted off atop a ULA Atlas V rocket from the Cape Canaveral base on its Boe-CFT (Boeing Crew Flight Test) mission. After about fifteen minutes, it successfully separated from the rocket’s last stage and soon it will start the maneuvers it needs to enter orbit and begin tracking the International Space Station.

The Chang'e 6 mission's vechicles blasting off (Photo courtesy Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

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A few hours ago, the Chang’e 6 mission was successfully launched. A Long March 5 rocket blasted off from the Wenchang space center and after about 36 minutes an orbiter and a lander separated from the rocket’s last stage to begin their journey to the Moon. The aim is to take samples of lunar soil on the far side of the Moon and bring them back to Earth.

The Chang’e 6 mission is a sort of evolution of the previous Chang’e 5, launched on November 23, 2020, which brought lunar samples back to Earth on December 16, 2020. The crucial difference is that in this new mission, the landing of a lander will take place in the South Pole-Aitken basin area, on the far side of the Moon. The choice is due to the fact that there are geological differences between the two faces of the Moon.

The Shenzhou 18 mission blasting off atop a Long March-2F rocket (Photo courtesy Xinhua/Li Gang)

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A confirmation has arrived that three Chinese taikonauts from the Shenzhou 18 mission reached the Chinese space station Tiangong with an automated docking maneuver. They blasted off about 6.5 hours earlier atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. They form the 7th crew of the Chinese space station and will remain there for about six months, the standard duration for a mission.

The three taikonauts, as the Chinese call their astronauts, of the Shenzhou 18 mission are Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu.