June Rocket Launch Schedule 2022: Past & Upcoming Launches

4th Jun 2021
June Rocket Launch Schedule 2022: Past & Upcoming Launches

Of the 14 launches scheduled for May, space agencies and companies have completed 12, but June rocket launch schedule for 2022 should be more eventful. Last month, Firefly Aerospace and Rocket Lab, as expected, postponed their missions, but the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces suddenly launched a military surveillance satellite from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.

27 rocket launches can be made in June, three rocket missions have already taken place, and exact dates have already been confirmed for another ten. China, Firefly, Rocket Lab and Astra Space are postponing their rocket take-offs until they are confident of their success. So, let’s see how the month began and what the rocket launch schedule for June has ahead.

June Rocket Launch Schedule: Completed Missions

June 2 – CASC Long March 2C/ Geely Constellation Group 01/ Mission complete

Geely Automotive strives to make its customers’ live as comfortable as it gets, and satellites will help ensure just that. On Thursday, China’s Long March 2C light rocket successfully launched Xingzuo-1 smallsats onto LEO 9; the spacecraft will test autonomous driving and car-to-car communications services, as well as deal with ocean surveillance. The rocket launch was made from the Xichang LC-3 launch site at 4 am GMT.

June 3 – Roscosmos Soyuz 2.1a/ Progress MS-20/ Mission Complete

Despite threats to leave the ISS due to sanctions, the Russian space agency continues to replenish its stocks. This time, the cargo ship Progress MC 20 delivered over 2 tons of payload to the ISS, including 4 satellites for Russian universities. This is the 173rd Progress mission since 1978. The launch of the Soyuz 2.1a rocket took place from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, at 9.32 GMT.

June 4 – Blue Origin New Shepard NS 21. Mission Complete

The 5th Blue Origin flight with tourists on board has been delayed since May 20th. The company explained this by saying that the ship’s backup system did not meet “performance expectations.” This time, the New Shepard crew included: investor Evan Dick (this is his second flight with Blue Origin), former NASA engineer Katya Echazarreta, pilot Hamish Harding, engineer Victor Correa Hespagna, investor Jason Robinson, and marine explorer Victor Vescovo. The NS21 rocket launch traditionally took place from Jeff Bezos’ corn ranch in Texas.

June 5 – CASC Long March 2F/G Shenzhou 14

The Chinese Long March 2F rocket will launch three Chinese astronauts on the Shenzhou 14 spacecraft to dock with the Tianhe main module of the Chinese space station. This will be China’s ninth crewed spaceflight and the fourteenth flight under the Shenzhou programme. The rocket launch will take place from Jiuquan, China. Delayed since May.

June Rocket Launch Schedule: Upcoming Missions

June 7, 9, 18, 28 – Space X Falcon 9 Block 5/ Nilesat-301, SpaceX CRS-25, ELaNa 45, SARah 1, SES- 22

Space X traditionally schedules several missions per month and usually completes all of them, with a few exceptions. In June, the Falcon 9 will fly a number of satellites for NASA, the Bundeswehr, and private companies. The SpaceX rocket will also carry the Dragon cargo spacecraft from resupply and science missions to the ISS. But the next batch of Starlink satellites is in question. The Starlink Group 4-19 mission is on the June rocket schedule, but there is no exact date yet.

June 13 – Rocket Lab Electron/ Capstone-Photon

As part of NASA’s Artemis Electron mission, it will launch the Photon spacecraft with the Capstone satellite. After a three-month journey, the satellite will reach a highly elliptical orbit over the Moon’s poles to test its performance for the Gateway lunar orbital station. The mission is postponed from May 27. Rocket take-off site changed from Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport to Mahia due to delays in AFTS certification.

June 15 – KARI Nuri (KSLV-2) Test Flight

The second test flight of the South Korean three-stage Nuri launch vehicle developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI). Nuri means “world” in Korean.

On October 21, 2021, the rocket made its maiden flight, sending a mock 3,300-pound satellite payload to a 700 km long SSO. Despite the mock-up reaching its intended apogee (700 km), the third stage disengaged about 46 seconds earlier than planned, and the payload did not reach orbital velocity.

This time, KARI will try again but will add four more science demonstration CubeSats to the test payload. The launch will take place from the Naro Space Center LC-2.

June 23 – Arianespace Ariane 5 Measat-3D & GSAT-24

The ESA’s Ariane 5 heavy rocket will launch two telecommunications satellites into geostationary orbit: the Indian GSAT-24 weighing 1.5 tons, and the 6-ton Malaysian MEASAT-3D. The launch will take place from the ESA Guiana Space Center, French Guiana.

June 29 – ULA Atlas V 541 | USSF-12 (WFOV)

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch an experimental Wide Field Of View (WFOV) missile warning satellite for the U.S. Space Force as part of the USSF 12 mission. The mission will launch from LC-41 at Cape Canaveral. Delayed since April.

June 30 – Virgin Orbit Launcher One/ STP-S28A, Elana 39

And Virgin Orbit should supposedly seal the month with its 5th flight, dubbed “Straight Up.” The Launcher One light rocket will carry 9 technology demonstration minisatellites to LEO: 2 for the Elana 39 educational mission and 7 for the U.S. Department of Defense. The launch will traditionally take place from the Mojave airport. The time has not yet been confirmed.

This is what June 2022 rocket launch schedule should look like while we keep you posted on each rocket launch of 2022 and meanwhile we offer you to take a look at the launch schedules planned in June 2021.

June 2021 Rocket Launch Schedule

Rocket launch schedule for the first month of summer in 2021 has a record number of planned launches – 30. As usual, most of these missions are in TBD status, but nine dates for the June rocket launch schedule have already been confirmed. Besides regulars on the launch calendar, companies that have not been active join the June rocket launch schedule list. Those are Northrop Minotaur, Jaxa Epsylon, and Pegasus XL. But we traditionally start with the leader.

Next SpaceX Rocket Launch Schedule: Falcon 9 

SpaceX will suspend its Starlink launches for the ISS supply mission and the delivery of three satellites – GPS Navstar, Sirius XM, and Transporter 2.

On 3rd June, Falcon 9 will launch the Dragon cargo vehicle into orbit to dock with the ISS. As part of its 22nd supply mission, Dragon will deliver 3.3 tons of cargo to ISS, including the first pair of iROSA solar panels, which will provide the station with additional power. The launch will take place from the Kennedy Space Center.

On 6th June, another Falcon 9, this time from Cape Canaveral, will deliver a 5,400 kg radio satellite to the GTO for Sirius XM as part of the SXM 8 mission. As a reminder, SXM-7 was damaged during orbital tests in the previous mission this winter. As a result, part of its payload was lost. Satellite manufacturer Maxar Technologies announced that Sirius M is fully responsible for this loss.

On 17th June , and again from Cape Canaveral, SpaceX rocket will launch 10 Lockheed Martin GPS satellites for the Navstar Global Positioning System into medium Earth orbit.

SpaceX’s launch schedule June 2021 series will be completed by the rideshare Transporter 2 mission with several satellites weighing up to 200 kg for commercial and government customers. Launch date is yet to be announced.

Northrop Grumman Minotaur 1 Rocket Launch

On 15th June, Northrop Grumman will launch its Minotaur 1 light rocket with a secret spy satellite for the US National Intelligence Agency on mission NROL-111 from Wallops, Virginia. Notably, this will be Minotaur’s first flight in seven years. This 5-stage rocket completed 11 successful missions from 2000 to 2013. In total, the Minotaur series has 7 modifications with different parameters.

Virgin Orbit Launcher One Launch

Virgin Orbit is planning a third mission in its launch schedule June 2021, named “Tubular Bells, Part One“. This time, the LauncherOne light rocket will deliver payloads to LEO for three customers – the US Department of Defense as part of a demonstration mission under the STP space test program, the first Dutch military satellite Brik-2, and two STORK-4 and STORK-5 optical satellites for SatRevolution. The launch is scheduled from Mojave, California, with a date to be confirmed.

JAXA Epsilon and H-IIA

Japan plans two launches in June, which is a rare event. The Japanese Space Agency’s light rocket will start on its first mission in two and a half years. This mission will be its fifth since 2013. As part of this mission, eight small satellites will be deployed to LEO. The launch will take place from Uchinoura Space Center, Japan. The date and time are to be confirmed.

The next rocket launch will be carried out by a heavy Japanese H-IIA rocket, which will deploy the Inmarsat-6 F1, an Airbus Defense and Space communications satellite for the British satellite operator Inmarsat, to the GTO.

Rocket Lab Electron Launch

Peter Beck’s New Zealand launcher Peter Beck will try to rehabilitate himself after its third failed launch on 15th May, 2021. Then, problems with the second stage engine resulted in the loss of two Earth remote sensing satellites from the American company BlackSky. However, RocketLab managed to successfully splash down its rocket’s first stage in the ocean for further reuse.

As part of its launch schedule June 2021, Electron will launch an experimental payload called Monolith with space weather equipment under the US Defense Department’s STP space test program. The Monolith mission will demonstrate the small satellite’s ability to support a large aperture payload. The mission was repeatedly postponed by the customer, so it may not take place this time either.

Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL

This launch was scheduled for May but was later set to the June rocket launch schedule. The Pegasus XL lightweight air-launch rocket should complete the TacRL-2 (Tactically Responsive Launch) mission. Its purpose is to demonstrate the possibility of quick payload deployment by the US Air Force’s order. The next rocket launch is scheduled from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA, and could be the last for the Pegasus project due to its high launch cost ($40 million) and low payload capacity (up to 400 kg).

MSF RF/Roscosmos  Soyuz 2.1 – Angara A5

Russia is planning a total of six launches. MSF RF should carry out five of those, and Roscosmos — another one. As part of these missions, the Soyuz 2.1 and Angara A5 rockets will launch several communications satellites and Russian Progress MS-17 cargo ship, which will replenish the International Space Station.

As usual, China has ambitious plans, too. The Chinese are planning a total of ten launches this June, but so far, only three launch dates for the Long March rockets have been confirmed. The next rocket launch of China’s first private liquid-propellant rocket, the ZhuQue 2, deserves special attention, but no details have yet been disclosed.

This is the June launch calendar according to nextspaceflight.com website. We will keep you posted on rocket launch schedule events as they happen.

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