The Weekly Rocket Report #58

12/29/2025-01/04/2026

Ricky Whitmore

Space Writer

Happy 2026 everyone!  Welcome to the first Weekly Rocket Report of the New Year.  Bit of a slow week as we transition from 2025 to 2026, two Long Marches to end 2025, followed by two Falcons to begin 2026.  Lets hit the ground running shall we?

The first launch was on Monday night with Long March 4B launching Tianhui 7 from the Jiuquan Launch Center.  The payload is described by the Chinese government as a “Cartography Satellite”. 

The next launch, and the final launch of 2025 was a Long March 7A which blasted off from Wenchang Launch Site Tuesday evening.  The rocket was carrying Shijian 29 A & B, the 2 satellites are described as tech demos for “spatial targets detection”.

Long March 7A launches Shijian 29 A & B. Photo Credit: https://x.com/CNSpaceflight.

2026 begins Friday January 2nd with the launch of CSG-3 from Falcon 9 out of Vandenberg.  CSG-3 is part of a small constellation of Earth observation satellites operated by the Italian Space Agency.  Following stage separation the rocket’s booster flew back to Vandenberg, touching down at landing zone 4. 

The last launch of the week came early morning Sunday as Falcon 9 blasted off from the Cape carrying the first Starlink mission of the year.  Starlink Group 6-88 added 29 satellites to orbit and the first stage landed successfully on the drone ship “Just Read The Instructions”.  

Falcon 9 launches Starlink Group 6-88. Photo Credit: SpaceX.

That’s all we have to start everyone.  There’s a lot to be excited about this year, Artemis II, more flights from exciting rockets like Starship, Vulcan, Falcon Heavy, etc. and hopefully more demo flights of new rockets getting off the ground.  I’ll be here with you through it all, to break it down on The Weekly Rocket Report! Thanks to all who read this!

As always feel free to write to me at rickyew2112@gmail.com, or find me on X @Rickyew2112

Sic Itur Ad Astra

(Thus They Journey to the Stars)