SpaceX continued to dominate the launch manifest with four missions this week, including SXM-10, and three Starlink launches from various locations around the globe. Additionally, Rocket Lab conducted its 65th Electron flight, transporting the BlackSky Gen-3 satellite to orbit on the “Full Stream Ahead” mission. Meanwhile, China launched a Chang Zheng 6A to a polar orbit.
Electron launched the second of five missions for BlackSky Technology just before June 3 ended at 11:57 AM NZST (23:57 UTC on June 2). This mission, named “Full Stream Ahead,” launched the second BlackSky Generation 3 satellite from Launch Complex-1B (LC-1B) at the Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand into its constellation in a mid-inclination circular 470 km orbit using Rocket Lab’s kick stage, Curie. “Full Stream Ahead” was initially scheduled to launch on May 28, but additional checkout requirements delayed the launch. Additionally, inclement weather led to the launch being pushed back six days to June 3.
This mission marked Rocket Lab’s 10th launch for BlackSky Technology, which is the highest number of launches for this constellation by any provider. BlackSky’s Gen-3 satellite variant can produce images with a resolution of 50 cm and is equipped with various sensors, including shortwave infrared sensors. Full Stream Ahead was the seventh Electron mission of 2025 and its 65th launch overall.
LIFT-OFF for Electron's 65th mission! pic.twitter.com/ehP4y7QbeH
— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) June 2, 2025
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 12-19
Starlink Group 12-19 launched in the early morning of June 3 at 12:43 AM EDT (4:43 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida. This mission carried 23 Starlink v2 Mini satellites on a southeastern trajectory to an orbit of 284 km by 293 km inclined at 43 degrees. 13 of the 23 satellites were featured with Direct-to-Cell capabilities.
Booster B1077 flew again, this time on its 21st flight. This booster has previously launched the Crew-5, CRS SpX-28, CRS NG-20, and 13 Starlink missions. B1077 successfully landed for its 21st time on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship Just Read the Instructions, which was stationed nearly 600 km downrange in the Atlantic Ocean.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 11-22
The second Starlink mission of the week, Starlink Group 11-18, is launched on June 3 at 4:40 PM PDT (23:40 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California. A batch of 27 Starlink v2 Mini satellites flew on a southern trajectory to a low-Earth orbit (LEO) inclined at 53 degrees.
The booster, B1063, launched on its 26th flight just 37 days after undergoing refurbishment following its last flight. As the oldest active booster, it has launched numerous important missions, including the V1 Starlink mission, DART, and three NROL missions. It landed successfully on SpaceX’s west coast droneship, Of Course I Still Love You, which was stationed downrange in the Pacific Ocean. This success marked SpaceX’s 68th Falcon 9 mission of the year and 500th Falcon mission when including Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy.
Chang Zheng 6A | GuoWang LEO Group 4
Chang Zheng 6’s 5th mission of this year launched a batch of communications satellites to low-Earth orbit on June 5 at 20:45 UTC. Launching from LC-9A at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China, the Chang Zheng 6A lifted off, carrying the satellites to a polar orbit. They then joined the GuoWang constellation operated by China Satellite Network Group Corporation. The constellation is hoping to rival SpaceX’s Starlink by expanding the GuoWang constellation to 13,000 satellites.
SiriusXM launched one of its third-generation high-powered digital audio radio satellites aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9. This launch sent SiriusXM’s SXM-10 satellite into space, replacing the older XM3 and XM4 satellites, which were launched in 2005 and 2006, respectively. In August 2021, Maxar Technologies was contracted to develop the SXM-10 satellite. Maxar has a strong history of building multiple satellites for SiriusXM, dating back to the introduction of the first-generation satellites in 2000.
Launching on June 7 from SLC-40 at the CCSFS at 12:54 AM EDT (16:54 UTC), Falcon 9 transported this satellite, which weighs over 6,000 kg, to a geostationary transfer orbit. It then joined the long-standing SiriusXM constellation, serving over 33 million subscribers to SiriusXM. The Falcon 9 booster that launched this mission was B1085, flying for its 8th mission and having completed many notable previous launches, including Crew-9, the Blue Ghost, the HAKUTO-R lunar lander mission, and Fram 2. It landed on one of SpaceX’s autonomous droneships, A Shortfall of Gravitas, a few minutes after launch.
Check it out! The SXM-10 satellite has successfully shipped to the launch base, ready for its upcoming launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the #KennedySpaceCenter.
This latest satellite marks another milestone in our over two-decade partnership with SiriusXM, supporting the… pic.twitter.com/m2PKeYZaXC
— Maxar Space Systems (@MaxarSpace) May 15, 2025
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 15-8
On June 8 at 7:20 AM PDT (14:20 UTC), Falcon 9 launched the Starlink Group 15-8 mission from SLC-4E at VSFB in California. The payload for this mission consisted of 26 Starlink v2 Mini satellites. The satellites followed a southern trajectory to an orbit inclined 70 degrees.
The booster for this mission was B1088, which launched for its seventh flight. It has previously supported the missions NROL-126, Transporter 12, SPHEREx & PUNCH, NROL-57, Starlink Group 11-13, and Starlink Group 15-4. It successfully landed on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship, Of Course I Still Love You, downrange in the Pacific Ocean shortly after launch.
(Lead Image: Falcon 9 launches from Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
