Five Falcon 9 missions launched this week, including the first-ever crewed mission to a polar orbit and several Starlink missions. Internationally, China also launched two missions, and Russia plans to send Soyuz to the International Space Station to conclude the week.
The week kicked off with Falcon 9 launching Starlink Group 6-80 into low-Earth orbit on Monday. Approximately six hours later, SpaceX’s next private human spaceflight mission, Fram2, lifted off from Florida. Then, on April 1, China launched its Chang Zheng 2D rocket, followed by Chang Zheng 6, which launched on April 3. SpaceX successfully launched and landed Starlink Group 11-13 later that evening. SpaceX launched two Falcon 9s for the Starlink Group 6-72 and Starlink Group 11-11 missions on April 5 and April 7, respectively. Finally, Roscosmos launched a crewed Soyuz 2.1a to the International Space Station on April 8.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 6-80
SpaceX started the week with the launch of Starlink Group 6-80 from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida. Falcon 9 lifted off at 3:52 PM EDT (19:52 UTC) on March 31 after a scrub on March 30 that halted the mission just under 40 minutes before launch. Booster B1080 carried 28 Starlink v2 Mini Optimized satellites on a southeastern trajectory to a 275 by 285 km orbit inclined 43 degrees.
The appetizer before the main course, a Falcon 9 carrying the Starlink 6-80 mission with a record 28 v2 mini satellites!
Next up: Fram2 sending crew around Earth's poles. pic.twitter.com/Esck2YlEyF
— Sawyer R. (@thenasaman) March 31, 2025
This was the first time Optimized Starlink satellites have been launched from the East Coast. This was B1080’s 17th flight following a 41-day turnaround for refurbishment and preparation for launch. After delivering the Starlink satellites, B1080 landed on SpaceX’s droneship Just Read the Instructions stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The headline mission for this week is the Fram2 mission, which is the first mission to take humans to a 90-degree polar orbit from Florida, flying them directly over the polar regions of Earth. The mission launched at 9:46 PM EDT on March 31 (1:46 UTC on April 1) from the historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Mission commander Chun Wang, vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen, pilot Rabea Rogge, and mission specialist and medical officer Eric Philips launched onboard Crew Dragon Resilience. This Crew Dragon previously supported the Crew 1, Inspiration4, and Polaris Dawn missions before Fram2.
Falcon 9 and Resilience on LC-39A ahead of the Fram2 mission. (Credit: Sawyer Rosenstein for NSF)
Falcon booster B1085 flew on this mission, marking its sixth mission to space. It launched toward Cuba before landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas. The second stage continued over Cuba and Panama, barely flying over the western edge of South America on its way to orbit.
A total of 22 research experiments and studies are expected to be conducted in orbit during this mission. Some of these studies include taking the first human X-ray images from space, examining how mushrooms grow in space, and various human health investigations and exercises. This research could help future missions better understand the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body and how to maintain good health while in microgravity.
Fram2 remained in orbit for nearly 87 hours before splashing down on April 4 at 12:22 PM EDT. Resilience landed in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast, where SpaceX’s capsule recovery vessel, MV Shannon, retrieved the astronauts, concluding the Fram2 mission.
Chang Zheng 2D | SatNet Demo Satellites
China launched the first of two missions this week from Site 9401 (SLS-2) at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on April 1. The mission window opened at 3:52 UTC, and Chang Zheng 2D successfully lifted off at 4:00 UTC as scheduled.
Four SatNet test satellites were launched on a Chang Zheng 2D rocket as part of a mission to deploy a low-Earth orbit internet constellation by China. These demonstration satellites, built by Galaxy Space and Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., are designed to test the capabilities of this state-owned project. This marked the third mission of the Chang Zheng 2D rocket in 2025.
Chang Zheng 6 | Tianping-3A-02
Chang Zheng 6 launched on April 3 from Launch Complex 16 (LC-16) at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China. The launch window opened at 2:04 UTC, and launch commenced at 2:12 UTC. Chang Zheng 6 sent Tianping-3A-02, a small satellite, to low-Earth orbit.
Tianping-3A-02 will be used to calibrate ground-based radar and radar cross-section (RCS) measurements, support imaging tests from Earth, and help future orbit correction models. The satellite was built by the Shanghai Innovation Academy of Microsatellites. This is Chang Zheng 6’s 25th mission, and the rumor that this could be Chang Zheng 6’s final launch was redacted, so it will likely be seen again in the near future
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 6-72
Falcon 9 is launching the Starlink Group 6-72 mission to low-Earth orbit from SLC-40 at the CCSFS at 10:40 PM EDT on April 5 (2:40 UTC on April 6). This mission will carry a payload of Starlink v2 Mini Optimized satellites on a southeastern trajectory to an orbit inclined 43 degrees. The specific booster is not yet determined; however, the droneship supporting this mission is known to be Just Read the Instructions.
Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 11-13
On April 3 at 6:02 PM PDT (1:02 UTC on April 4), Falcon 9 launched the Starlink Group 11-13 mission from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB). The payload for this mission consists of 22 Starlink v2 Mini satellites. The satellites flew on a southeastern trajectory to an inclined orbit of 53.17 degrees, with an initial orbit of 274 by 284 km.
The booster for this mission is B1088, flying for its fifth time. It has supported previous missions, including two National Reconnaissance Office Launch (NROL) missions, Transporter 12, and the recent SPHEREx & PUNCH mission. The booster successfully landed on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship, Of Course I Still Love You, downrange in the Pacific Ocean. This was the booster’s third mission in 23 days, showcasing an immaculate refurbishment time from SpaceX.
Just flew booster 1088 for the third time in 23 days (would have been 21 days if not for weather). Major props to the SpaceX Vandy team! 👏👏👏 https://t.co/2IyEVWi4zu
— Jon Edwards (@edwards345) April 4, 2025
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 6-72
Falcon 9 launched the Starlink Group 6-72 mission to low-Earth orbit from SLC-40 at the CCSFS at 11:07 PM EDT on April 5 (3:07 UTC on April 6). This mission carried a payload of 28 Starlink v2 Mini Optimized satellites on a southeastern trajectory to an orbit inclined 43 degrees. Booster B1078 launched on this mission for the 19th time after a 22-day refurbishment period. It landed smoothly on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship, Just Read the Instructions, after successfully delivering Falcon 9’s upper stage into a nominal orbital trajectory.
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 11-11
Starlink Group 11-11 is lifted off from SLC-4E at VSFB on April 7 at 2:35 PM PDT (21:35 UTC). This launch carried a batch of Starlink v2 Mini satellites on a southeastern trajectory to a 53-degree inclination orbit.
The booster for this mission is B1093, lifting off for its first-ever flight. The droneship, Of Course I Still Love You, recovered the booster downrange from the launch site in the Pacific Ocean. This launch and landing came just three days after Starlink Group 11-13.
On April 8 at 5:47 UTC, Roscosmos launched a Soyuz 2.1a from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz MS-27 mission transported two cosmonauts and one astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) for a planned 240-day stay aboard the floating laboratory.
The crew includes Commander Sergei Ryzhikov, Flight Engineer Alexei Zubritsky, and Flight Engineer Jonathan Kim, who will join the Expedition 73 crew. They succeeded the crew of Soyuz MS-26, which consisted of Commander Aleksey Ovchinin, Flight Engineer Ivan Vagner, and Flight Engineer Donald Pettit, who spent over 200 days on the ISS.
The Soyuz 2.1a launch vehicle was rolled out to the launch pad on April 5 in preparation for this mission. This marks the 83rd mission of the Soyuz 2.1a launch vehicle and the second of 2025.
(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches from Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)
