2nd of the National Team’s Blue Moon MK1 lunar lander test missions to validate the necessary technologies for its HLS lunar module. Some of the life support hardware will travel on this mission in preparation for the first crew Blue Moon flight. This mission will also carry NASA’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) lunar rover. VIPER is designed to explore the relatively nearby but extreme environment of the Moon in search of ice and other potential resources. This mobile robot will land at the South Pole of the Moon on a 100-day mission, in order to teach us about the origin and distribution of water on the Moon and help determine how we can harvest the Moon's resources for future human space exploration. VIPER is designed to roam the Moon using its three instruments and a 1 meter long drill to detect and analyze various lunar soil environments at a range of depths and temperatures. The rover can venture into permanently shadowed craters, some of the coldest spots in the solar system, where ice reserves have endured for billions of years. The rover was originally slated to launch on Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission One lunar lander (with the Falcon Heavy rocket), but the VIPER mission was cancelled in July 2024 due to budget cuts. After consulting with the industry to find alternative ways to deliver the rover to the lunar surface, NASA ultimately chose to launch it with Blue Origin’s 2nd Blue Moon MK1 lander mission.
Low Earth OrbitSix Astranis MicroGEO communications satellite to be inserted into Low Earth orbit by the Falcon 9, from where the Helios upper stage provided by Impulse Space will carry the satellites to geostationary orbit within 24 hours of launch.
Geostationary OrbitOptus-11 is a Ku-band communications satellite with a coverage zone encompassing Australia and New Zealand. Optus-11 incorporates a number of advanced technologies, especially the latest developments in digital processing, plus active antennas enabling the creation of several thousand beams.
Geostationary Transfer OrbitJSAT-32 is a geostationary communication satellite for SKY Perfect JSAT. Operating in the Ku and Ka frequency bands, JSAT-32 will provide coverage over Japan and its surrounding seas, with newly added spot beams for mobility applications. JSAT-32 will serve as a future replacement for existing SKY Perfect JSAT satellites that provide communication and distribution services in Japan.
Geostationary Transfer OrbitChinese satellite reported to be for "space environment research" purposes. Actual usage not known.
A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Commercial Synthetic-aperture radar Earth observation satellites built by CAST for China Siwei Survey and Mapping Technology Co. Ltd.
Note: Payload identities uncertain. Batch of 16 Rassvet-3 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Russian Byuro-1440 (Bureau 1440) conste…
Chinese commercial small satellites by Beijing-based company Future Navigation for providing GNSS augmentation signals services from LEO. They are pa…
A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Progress resupply mission to the International Space Station.
A batch of 25 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.
A batch of 29 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.