The Weekly Rocket Report #61
01/19/2026-01/25/2026
Ricky Whitmore
Space Writer
Hello everyone and welcome, to The Weekly Rocket Report! Anyone else trying to figure out how it’s already the end of January? This month has really flown by. Speaking of flying, lets talk about rockets that launched this week!
The week begins in China with the launch of Long March 12 from the Wenchang Launch Center. This rocket was carrying 9 satellites to add to the ongoing SatNet constellation on the mission SatNet LEO Group 19.
To the USA now, where Falcon 9 blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base early Thursday morning carrying the 25 satellites of Starlink Group 17-30. All were delivered successfully and the rocket’s first stage returned to Earth, landing on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You”.
Rocket Lab got off the ground a few hours later with their first launch of 2026, on a mission called “The Cosmos Will See You Now”. Electron was carrying two broadband satellites, the start of a constellation controlled by Open Cosmos.
Electron launches “The Cosmos Will See You Now”. Photo Credit: Rocket Lab.
Just a few hours after that Blue Origin launched their first mission of 2026. New Shepard lifted off from Launch Site One on NS-38, its 17th human spaceflight. The crew consisted of Tim Drexler, Alain Fernandez, Linda Edwards, Laura Stiles, Alberto Gutierrez, and Jim Hendren. The mission was a success with both the crew capsule, and the booster landing safely in the West Texas desert.
New Shepard launches NS-38. Photo Credit: Blue Origin.
The final launch of the week was another showing from Falcon 9. Starlink Group 17-20 took to the skies Sunday afternoon carrying 25 more satellites to orbit. Following stage separation the rocket’s booster returned to Earth, touching down on the drone ship “Of Course I Still Love You”.
Falcon 9 launches Starlink Group 17-20. Photo Credit: SpaceX.
That is the week in launches my friends. Very busy morning on Thursday, with 3 launches from 3 different companies in less than 12 hours. It has also been a busy week for NASA with the roll out of SLS being completed. Work on the monumental rocket continues, with tests of the pad egress system, and final touches to the solid rocket boosters. A wet dress rehearsal for the rocket is tentatively scheduled for the 31st of January, and from there a planned launch date will be set. Big things to come looking ahead to February, and Artemis II could definitely be a highlight.
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)