A comprehensive review of recent launches: Delta IV’s final mission, Russia’s Angara test flight, and three successful Falcon 9 missions.

On the second week of April, space enthusiasts had plenty to be excited about – a total solar eclipse and several orbital launches from both Russia and the United States. One of the most highly anticipated events was the final flight of the NROL-70 Delta IV Heavy rocket, which took place on Tuesday, April 9. Additionally, there was a test flight of the Russian Angara rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome and multiple Falcon 9 launches throughout the week.

The launch of the NROL-70 Delta IV Heavy rocket marked the end of an era for this particular rocket family. The launch took place at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and carried a mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. The Delta IV Heavy flew due east, a trajectory consistent with previous flights of this type. After this mission, the Vulcan family of rockets will replace the capabilities of the Delta IV Heavy. The Vulcan rocket will eventually also replace the Atlas family of rockets.

Meanwhile, Russia conducted a rare flight of its Angara rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. The first attempt was scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, but was scrubbed with just minutes remaining in the countdown. A second attempt was also scrubbed seconds before launch. However, on Thursday, April 11, the Angara A5 successfully launched on its third attempt. This particular flight did not carry any payloads but flew an “Orion” upper stage and a mass simulator known as GMM KA. The successful flight paves the way for future operational A5 flights, with the next one scheduled for December of this year.

The Angara rocket family is designed to replace multiple Soviet-era rockets and is based on a core vehicle called the Universal Rocket Module-1 (URM-1). It features a single NPO Energomash RD-191 rocket engine capable of producing 1,920 kilonewtons of thrust. The Angara A5 variant, which launched this week, uses four URM-1s as strap-on boosters attached to the URM-1 core and a URM-2 as the second stage. Depending on the mission, an optional third stage can be added to the rocket stack.

The launch schedule for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets was also busy during the second week of April. The first launch of the week was the Starlink Group 6-48 mission, which took place on Wednesday, April 10. This nighttime launch successfully deployed the Starlink v2 Mini satellites into an orbit inclined 43 degrees to the equator. The booster used for this mission, B1083-2, landed safely on the droneship Just Read The Instructions.

The second Falcon 9 launch of the week was the USSF-62/WSF-M1 mission for the United States Space Force. This mission, which took place on Thursday, April 11, carried a satellite known as Weather System Follow-on-Microwave 1 (WSF-M1). The satellite is a follow-on to replace the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s microwave capabilities in orbit. The booster, B1082-3, conducted a return-to-launch-site maneuver and landed at Landing Zone 4.

Lastly, there is a scheduled launch of the Starlink Group 6-49 mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This launch will take place on Friday, April 12, and will follow a similar flight path to the previous Starlink mission earlier in the week. The Falcon 9 booster for this mission, B1062-20, will become the first booster to fly 20 times. It will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship in the Atlantic.

Overall, the second week of April was an exciting time for space enthusiasts, with multiple rocket launches from both Russia and the United States. These launches marked significant milestones for the Delta IV Heavy and Angara rocket families, while also contributing to the ever-growing Starlink constellation in orbit.