High Hopes for Starship Flight 10, NET August 4 from Starbase
Launch window opens August 4 for Starship test flight 10 from Boca Chica TX for a transatmospheric flight profile similar to the last 3 tests, using Booster 16 and (reportedly) Ship 37. The explosion of Ship 36 caused a considerable delay in the timing of this launch and necessary repairs of the Massey’s test site. The Super Heavy booster will attempt to once again return to Starbase, through a series of boostback and landing burns, and be caught in the Mechazilla launch tower chopstick arms. If Starship is successful in its trajectory, it would splashdown in the Indian Ocean (tests 4, 5, and 6 managed to accomplish this). SpaceX received FAA approval to increase Starship launches to 25 per year from Starbase; for its Falcon 9 rockets, so far 83 have launched this year, and 0 Falcon Heavys. There are at least 11 known Starship flights with specified mission profiles: 4 involving propellant transfers and depots/tankers, the uncrewed Human Landing System demo mission which will attempt a lunar landing, 5 uncrewed Mars demo missions may launch Q4 2026 and attempt landing mid-2027, and the 2026-27 first commercial Starship carrying the Astrolab Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover with 1,000 kilograms of customer payloads to the Moon surface. (Image Credits: SpaceX)
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MONDAY☆ Aug 4 — International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 73 seven members expect to greet 4 Crew-11 astronauts, meanwhile continuing research with electrical muscle stimulation to counteract atrophy, and AI-powered robots of bowling-ball size; 3 due to return to Earth after ~week overlap with Crew-11 testing / inspecting pressure suits. ☆ Aug 4 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 20 three-member crew still arranging 6500kg of cargo, including 1500kg of food, from record-setting Tianzhou 9 craft docked to TSS; using new core muscle exercise equipment and familiarizing themselves with new Feitian extravehicular spacesuits. ☾ Aug 4 — Moon Enterprise News: Weekly lunar advisories coming soon… ★ Aug 4 — SpaceX, Launch Starship (10th Flight), Starbase, Boca Chica TX: Launch window for Starship Flight Test 10 opens today. ☆ Aug 4 — CNSA, Launch Long March 12 / SatNet LEO Group, Commercial LC-2, Wenchang Space Launch Center, Hainan Island, China (19°N): Satellites for planned constellation of 13,000. ☆ Aug 4 — Rocket Lab, Launch Electron / The Harvest Goddess Thrives (iQPS Launch 4), Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand: Synthetic aperture radar for iQPS of Japan. ● Aug 4-6 — University of Colorado Boulder (CU), Boulder CO: International Workshop on Instrumentation for Planetary Missions (IPM-2025); 6th IPM for users / developers of instrumentation onboard planetary missions; in-person US$225, online US$0. ● Aug 4-8 — Space Center Houston, Houston TX: Space U (Ages 11-14) and Space U (Ages 15-18); learning opportunities tied to NASA missions including space habitats, thermal protection systems, rocketry, robotics; US$720-$960. o Aug 4-9 — International Astronomical Union (IAU), La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina: IAU Symposium 401: Advancing Reference System, Ephemeris, and Standards; From the Earth and the Moon to Solar System Bodies; at National University of La Plata. |
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● = Terrestrial and o = International terrestrial events in local time; ☾ = Moon, ★ = Space and ☆ = International space events in Hawai’i time unless noted. |
Weekly Planet Watch – Morning Planets: Venus (ENE), Jupiter (ENE), Saturn (S), Uranus (E), Neptune (S); Evening Planet: Mars (W).
Small Satellite Conference Now in Salt Lake City; Ramping up Lunar Interest
Ice cream socials will continue at the August 10-13, 39th Annual Small Satellite Conference “SmallSat” with theme Reaching New Horizons: New Orbit, Same Mission although the venue for the 1st time is a convention center, the Salt Palace, rather than a college campus. 4,000+ have registered, 1,300+ organizations are represented, 300+ will exhibit, and the ~US$6.4M economic benefit will accrue to Salt Lake City rather than Logan UT. SmallSat provides a platform for discussions on recent successes, emerging technologies and future directions via 2 key tracks, Enterprise and Research & Academia, as well as Posters, Flash Talks, Side Talks and attendees organizing on-site gatherings in free meeting rooms. A trend to lunar orbit subjects is observed with 4 scheduled Enterprise track sessions, 3 Research & Academia seminars, 2 Poster presentations and 3 Flash Talks. A Side Talk on Space Communications Infrastructure will be given by Sean McClinton of RBC Signals, and one titled Lunar: A New Horizon for New Space is by Cristina Conesa of Telespazio Germany will focus on commercialization and economics of operating on the Moon, harvesting lunar resources, and how smallsat companies can transition from Earth orbit to the Moon. A SpaceX representative will present a Rideshare Program update. (Image credits: Small Satellite Conference) |
Ongoing… ● Jun 2 – Aug 10 — University of Hawai’i Institute for Astronomy, Islands of Hawai’i, O’ahu, Maui: Paid research internship for undergraduate students. ● Jun 10 – Sep 30 — Adventures in Astronomy, Online / Bridgeport CT: Adventures in Astronomy-Approaching Infinity; 17 Zoom classes with George Roush. o Jun 30 – Aug 22 — International Space University, Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST), Hanyang University ERICA Campus, Seoul, S Korea: 37th Space Studies Program (SSP). ● Jul 9 – Aug 7 — National Academies, Online / Washington DC: Accepting input from science community to prioritize high-value lunar destinations—excluding the poles—for human exploration. o Aug 1 – Sept 7 — CNSA, Hong Kong Science Museum, et al, Hong Kong, China: On display are near- and far-side lunar samples from Chang’E-5 and -6 and Chang’E-6 return capsule and parachute. TUESDAY★ Aug 5 — Juno, Jupiter Orbit: NASA craft reaches 14 full years in space today, having been launched in 2011 and reaching Jupiter on July 4, 2016; one-way transmission signal to Earth is 48 minutes. ★ Aug 5 — Curiosity, Mars Surface: Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory) rover reaches 13 full years / enters 14th year of operations on Mars surface today; launched Nov 26, 2011 – landed Aug 5, 2012 (Pacific Daylight Time). ★ Aug 5 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 11-25, SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB CA: Satellites for space-based Internet communications. |
WEDNESDAY
● Aug 6 — Virgin Galactic, Online / Tustin CA: Second Quarter 2025 financial results telecon; 14:00 PST.
● Aug 6-8 — LPI, USRA, Planetary Crater Consortium, Boulder CO: 16th Planetary Crater Consortium Meeting; at Southwest Research Institute.
☆ Aug 6 — Amor Asteroid 2021 NX: Near-Earth Flyby (0.078 AU)
THURSDAY
★ Aug 7 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Project Kuiper (KF-02), SLC 40, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: 2nd of 3-launch contract for Amazon LEO Internet constellation.
● Aug 7-8 — Lunar and Planetary Science Panel of the National Academies, Washington DC: Key Non-Polar Destinations Across the Moon to Address Decadal-level Science Objectives with Human Explorers.
● Aug 7-9 — International Lunar Observatory Association, Kamuela HI: International ILO-C Lunar Astronomy Workshop; reception, meeting, observatories viewing.
☆ Aug 7 — Asteroid 2 Pallas: At opposition in longitude, magnitude 9.4, 03:00.
☆ Aug 7 — Apollo Asteroid 513138 (2002 CY58): Near-Earth Flyby (0.076 AU)
FRIDAY
● Aug 8 — The Space Show, Online / Las Vegas NV: Dr. David Livingston hosts Ben Roberts about the Huntsville Business Conference and investing in microgravity innovations.
☾ Aug 8 — Moon: Full Sturgeon Moon, 21:56.
☆ Aug 8 — Apollo Asteroid 2025 OJ1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.034 AU)
SATURDAY
☆ Aug 9 — NASA Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3): Visible pass of spacecraft over the Hawaiian Islands, rises 04:41:26 from NNE and sets 04:58:59 in S, brightest magnitude 2.0 at 04:50:09 in E.
★ Aug 9 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 17-4, SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB CA: Satellites for space-based Internet communications.
SUNDAY
★ Aug 10 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 10-20, SLC-40, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: 28 satellites for space-based Internet communications.
★ NET Aug 10 — United Launch Alliance, Launch Vulcan VC4S / USSF-106, SLC-41, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: To geosynchronous orbit; includes NTS-3 navigation satellite.
● Aug 10-13 — Small Satellite Conference, et al, Salt Lake City UT: 39th Annual Small Satellite Conference; at Salt Palace Convention Center; US$350-$1,000; winners of student competition receive up to US$10,000.
● Aug 10-14 — American Astronautical Society, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Boston MA: AAS / AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference; at Hyatt Regency.