Space Launches & Missions

 Space Launches & Missions

SpaceX launched 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into a polar orbit from Vandenberg on July 18, boosting its global broadband constellation to over 7,900 spacecraft  .

NASA's TRACERS mission—two satellites to investigate Earth's magnetic cusps and auroral particle flows—is scheduled for launch atop a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg on July 22  .

Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is preparing a late‑2025 launch of NASA’s twin ESCAPADE Mars orbiters, aiming to probe the Red Planet’s magnetic environment  .

Crew‑11 mission to the ISS, via SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, is targeted for July 31, marking the capsule’s sixth flight  .

🛰️ Planetary Science & Exploration

Tianwen‑2, China’s asteroid & comet probe, launched May 28, 2025. It will collect a sample from asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa and then head to a main-belt comet  .

Europa Clipper, launched Oct 2024, flew past Mars on March 1, 2025. Heading toward Jupiter, it’s due at Europa in April 2030  .

🧪 ISS & Human Spaceflight

Axiom Mission 4 (Ax‑4), featuring India’s Shubhanshu “Shux” Shukla alongside NASA’s Peggy Whitson, returned after an 18‑day stay aboard the ISS on July 15  .

🌍 Earth & Space Science

Study shows ~70% of ISS astronauts experience vision changes during long missions; NASA is investigating ocular risks in microgravity  .

Following DART’s 2022 asteroid impact, dozens of boulders ejected from the target satellite Dimorphos could impact Mars in 6,000 years—prompting a rethink in planetary defense  .

🧭 Skywatching & Space Weather

July evening sky: Mars and Mercury visible after sunset; Venus and Jupiter in early mornings; Aquila constellation flying high  .

TRACERS satellites will launch to better monitor magnetic reconnection events that drive auroras and influence space weather  .

🔍 What’s Coming Up Next?

July 22 – TRACERS launch

July 31 – Crew‑11 ISS mission

Late 2025 – ESCAPADE Mars mission aboard New Glenn

Let me know if you'd like to dive deeper into any of these — whether it’s a mission detail, how ISS vision studies are progressing, or what's required for TRACERS research.