The 2022 Everyday Astronaut Astro Awards
The 2022 Everyday Astronaut Astro Awards aim to celebrate outstanding achievements in space(flight) taking place this year.
Pléiades Neo 5 & 6 | Vega-C
Arianespace is launching its small-lift rocket, Vega, from its equatorial launch site in French Guiana. It is sending several satellites to a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). The main payload is a pair of Pléiades Neo satellites.
Maiden Flight | Zhuque-2
Chinese private company LandSpace is launching its first methane-powered rocket to orbit, with no disclosed payload prior to launch. This will make a major milestone in spaceflight history if the launch is successful.
Glonass-M No. 61 (Kosmos 2564) | Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M
Russia was expected to launch Glonass-M No.61, to medium Earth orbit. a successful launch, the payload was re-designated Kosmos 2564.
“Start Me Up” Amber-1 & Others | LauncherOne
Virgin Orbit is sending several payloads to orbit onboard its air-launched rocket, LauncherOne, from the UK for the first time. This will be the first orbital launch deployed from anywhere in Western Europe.
Pléiades Neo 5 & 6 | Vega-C
Arianespace is launching its small-lift rocket, Vega, from its equatorial launch site in French Guiana. It is sending several satellites to a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). The main payload is a pair of Pléiades Neo satellites.
RAISE-3 | Epsilon PBS
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched RAISE-3 and 7 other payloads onboard an Epsilon rocket. A set of five CubeSats flew alongside the main payload.
The launch was unsuccessful. The flight was terminated prior to third stage ignition.
EMKA-3 (Kosmos 2560)| Angara 1.2
Russia is launching a small military satellite, known as EMKA-3, to a Sun-Synchronous Orbit onboard the second orbital launch of an Angara 1.2 rocket.
Gonets-M33, Gonets-M34, Gonets-M35 & Skif-D | Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M
Roscosmos is launching several Goniets-M communications satellites to a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) along with a Skif-D satellite to a Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), on a Soyuz 2.1b rocket featuring the optional Fregat-M final stage. It will launch from Vostochny Cosmodrome, in Far East Russia.
This particular Soyuz rocket is using a relatively new fuel type on all of its booster stages. Instead of the conventional RP-1 kerosene-based fuel, it will use "naphthyl", also known as RG-1. This is a move that is currently only planned for launches from the Vostochny Cosmodrome.
RAISE-3 | Epsilon PBS
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is launching RAISE-3 and 7 other payloads onboard an Epsilon rocket. A set of five CubeSats are flying alongside the main payload.