Overview
- China’s state-owned CASC completed the maiden flight of the Chang Zheng 12B on June 1, delivering two G60 communications satellites to polar orbit and marking the vehicle’s first successful mission.
- SpaceX has three Falcon 9 Starlink missions scheduled this week with firm manifests and booster assignments, including a Cape Canaveral launch carrying 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites and a Vandenberg launch carrying 24 Starlink v2 Mini satellites.
- The Vandenberg flight on Wednesday will use booster B1088 and target recovery on the droneship Of Course I Still Love You while the Cape Canaveral Wednesday launch will use B1090 and aim to land on A Shortfall of Gravitas, with an additional Cape launch on Sunday planned to fly veteran booster B1067.
- Weather threats are a live concern for the Florida launch window where the 45th Weather Squadron forecast only a 30 percent chance of favorable conditions, and all launch and recovery plans remain subject to routine delays.
- High reuse of Falcon 9 first stages and explicit satellite counts per mission are allowing faster, lower‑cost growth of Starlink’s constellation, while China’s CZ‑12B debut signals Beijing’s push to expand its own LEO broadband and reusable‑capable launch capabilities.