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yesterday

SpaceX Lines Up Three Early-January Launches as ISRO Sets PSLV Return for Jan. 12

SpaceX pairs its fast start with a plan to lower thousands of Starlink satellites to enhance orbital safety.

This long-exposure image captures the planet Venus partially obscured by a train of Starlink satellites. While these streaks represent a leap in global connectivity, they also illustrate the growing challenge for astronomers trying to maintain a clear window into the universe. Credit: Mike Lewinski, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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ISRO To Launch PSLV-C62 Mission On January 12. Here's Where You Can Watch | Image: X
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Overview

  • Two Falcon 9 missions are scheduled from Cape Canaveral for Starlink Group 6-96 on January 8 and Group 6-97 on January 10, each targeting another 29 satellites to low Earth orbit with droneship recoveries.
  • A January 11 Falcon 9 from Vandenberg will fly the Twilight rideshare, carrying 20 payloads including NASA’s Pandora exoplanet SmallSat, the first 10 Kepler Communications Tranche 1 satellites, and Spire’s HyMS and eight Lemur-2 spacecraft.
  • Starlink’s footprint now includes more than nine million subscribers, with 10,868 satellites launched to date, about 8,170 in operational orbits, and roughly 1,445 deorbited, according to the latest tallies.
  • SpaceX plans in 2026 to lower roughly 4,400 Starlink spacecraft from about 550 km to around 480 km, a move coordinated with operators, regulators, and US Space Command to reduce collision risk and shorten natural deorbit times.
  • ISRO’s PSLV-C62 is slated for January 12 at 10:17 IST, carrying the hyperspectral EOS-N1 (Anvesha) and 18 co-passengers such as AayulSAT (on-orbit refuelling demo), MOI-1 (AI imaging), the Indo–Mauritius satellite, and Orbital Paradigm’s KID reentry capsule in the PSLV’s return to flight after the C61 failure.