Launch Preview: Change 7 headlines week of Chinese and Starlink launches

Date:
Mon, 17 Aug 2026 22:19:52 +0000

Description:
After last weeks Chang Zheng 7A launch failure, China returns to action with the high-profile The post Launch Preview: Change 7 headlines week of Chinese and Starlink launches appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================

After last weeks Chang Zheng 7A launch failure, China returns to action with the high-profile Change 7 robotic lunar mission and the second test flight of the ZhuQue-3 partially reusable launcher. Three Falcon 9 Starlink flights,
two from California and the other from Florida, and four Chinese flights are scheduled for the week.

Three launches from China a Chang Zheng 12 (CZ-12), a Chang Zheng 2C
(CZ-2C), and the ZhuQue-3 start the week off, followed by Starlink Group 17-50 from Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB). Starlink Group 10-39 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), Starlink Group 15-20, and the Change 7 robotic lunar mission aboard a Chang Zheng 5 (CZ-5) finish out the week.

CZ-12 being processed ahead of launch. (Credit: raz_liu)

Chang Zheng 12 | SatNet LEO Group 24

A CZ-12 medium-lift rocket successfully launched from the Commercial LC-2 pad at Wenchang Space Launch Site (WSLS) on Hainan Island south of mainland
China. The flight took place on Sunday, Aug. 16, at 04:10 UTC, and the launch window lasted until 04:32 UTC.

The two-stage CZ-12, using kerosene-fueled YF-100K engines in the first
stage, took a southeast trajectory out of WSLS. The payload was not known
with certainty before the flight, but the previous five operational CZ-12 flights all launched SatNet LEO broadband communications satellites into orbit. These satellites are part of an internet constellation that serves as
a Chinese analog to Starlink.

The YF-100 engine, which uses kerosene and liquid oxygen as propellants, powers several newer Chang Zheng family rockets, including the CZ-7A that failed earlier this month. The fact that this flight and the Change 7 launch were still scheduled for this week may indicate that the engine is not considered responsible for the launch failure.

This flight was the third CZ-12 launch of the year and the seventh overall as China looks to rebound from the Aug. 10 launch failure, which also flew from Hainan Island. CZ-2C on the pad after tower retraction. (Credit: CASC)

Chang Zheng 2C | Satellite for Earth Observation

While China has newer rockets designed to take over launches from the older Chang Zheng (CZ) rockets based on ICBM technology, the older CZ-2C and others of its vintage are still flying. A CZ-2C launched successfully from LC-9 at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China on Monday, Aug. 17, at 03:02 UTC, with the window lasting until 03:17 UTC.

The rocket took a southbound trajectory suitable for Sun-synchronous orbits, which are typically used for launches from Taiyuan. Earth observation satellites, reconnaissance satellites, and some weather and communications satellites use Sun-synchronous orbits, and this launch carried the Satellite for Earth Observation payload for the United Arab Emirates.

This flight was the fourth launch of the year for the CZ-2C. LandSpaces ZhuQue-3 launches from China. (Credit: LandSpace)

ZhuQue-3 | Flight 2

LandSpace, a commercial Chinese launch provider, is now scheduled to fly its partially reusable ZhuQue-3 medium-lift rocket from Site 96B at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center this week after a brief delay from last week. The launch is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 23:35 UTC, with the window lasting until 00:04 UTC on Aug. 19.

The methane-fueled ZhuQue-3, capable of flying up to 21,300 kg to low-Earth orbit, will launch on a southeast trajectory on its second test flight, and the first stage will attempt to land at a landing pad downrange from the launch site. The first landing attempt last year failed, but this is the
first attempt of 2026 and the first ZhuQue-3 launch of 2026.

China successfully recovered a CZ-10B first stage last month, using a barge equipped with a recovery apparatus that worked, in principle, like a Starship Super Heavy capture at Starbase. The Chinese space sector is developing multiple vehicles with partial or full reusability, following SpaceXs and
Blue Origins lead. Starlink satellites before deployment in orbit. (Credit: SpaceX)

Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 17-50

The first SpaceX launch of the week will be a Falcon 9 Starlink mission from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at VSFB. The flight is scheduled for
Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 7:00 PM PDT (02:00 UTC on Wednesday, Aug. 19), with the launch window ending at 11:00 PM PDT (06:00 UTC on Aug. 19).

On its 12th flight, booster B1097 will take a southerly trajectory suitable for a Sun-synchronous orbit. The mission will carry 24 Starlink v2 Mini satellites to orbit while the booster will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship in the Pacific. The booster started its career with the
Starlink Group 17-8 launch, and has also flown six other Starlink missions along with Sentinel-6B, Twilight, NROL-172, and Transporter 17.

This flight is the 97th Falcon 9 launch of 2026, as the company aims for a somewhat reduced total from last years record 165 flights.



Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-39

The next Falcon 9 launch of the week is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 20, at 11:19 am EDT (15:19 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at CCSFS. The window for Starlink Group 10-39 lasts until 3:19 PM EDT (19:19 UTC), though the rocket will be committed to launch at the appointed T0 once propellant loading begins.

B1078, flying on its 30th mission, will launch on a northeast trajectory and land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship in the Atlantic. The mission will carry 29 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into low-Earth orbit. The booster started its career with the Crew-6 launch and has since flown the O3b mPOWER
3 & 4, USSF-124, BlueBird 1 to 5, Nusantara Lima, Starfall Demo, and 23 Starlink missions.

This flight will be the 98th Falcon 9 launch of 2026 if schedules hold.



Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 15-20

The third SpaceX launch of the week is set for Saturday, Aug. 22, at 12:25 AM PDT (07:25 UTC) from SLC-4E at VSFB. The window for the predawn liftoff of
the Starlink Group 15-20 mission ends at 4:25 AM PDT (11:25 UTC).

B1100 will take a southeast trajectory on its ninth mission, ultimately landing on Of Course I Still Love You in the Pacific. The mission will launch 27 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into low-Earth orbit. The booster began its career on the Starlink Group 11-30 flight and has also flown six other Starlink missions, as well as NROL-105, all from VSFB.

This flight will be the 99th Falcon 9 launch of 2026, if schedules hold, and the 10th Falcon 9 launch this month. Tianwen-1 launching aboard the fifth flight of Chinas CZ-5 rocket on July 23, 2020. (Credit: CNSA)

Chang Zheng 5 | Change 7

Chinas next robotic mission to the Moon is set to fly on Monday, Aug. 24, at 00:00 UTC aboard a CZ-5 rocket from LC-101 at WSLS on Hainan Island. The Change 7 missions launch window extends to 04:00 UTC.

The three-stage CZ-5 will take an eastward trajectory and launch the 8,200 kg Change 7 spacecraft on a path toward the Moon. The Change 7 spacecraft includes a lunar orbiter, a lunar lander, a lunar rover to be deployed from the lander, and a mini-hopper with a water molecule and hydrogen isotope analyzer. The lunar orbiter will use a high-resolution stereo mapping camera, a synthetic aperture radar, and six other instruments to map and analyze the lunar surface from orbit, with particular focus on the south polar region.

The lunar lander will attempt a touchdown on the illuminated rim of
Shackleton Crater in the lunar south polar region. The crater is thought to possibly contain water ice in its permanently shadowed region, and the lander will use 11 instruments to analyze the area and even observe astronomical targets. Rendering of the Change 7 lander on the Moons surface. (Credit: Xinhua)

The lunar rover features five instruments, including a panoramic camera, a penetrating radar, a magnetometer, a spectrometer, and an instrument to measure volatiles and isotopes.

This flight is the second launch of the CZ-5 in 2026 and the 12th overall flight of the rocket. Change 7 is a precursor to a possible Chinese human lunar landing around 2030. This mission will also mark the 200th overall orbital launch attempt of 2026.

(Lead image: Falcon 9 launches from Florida. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/08/launch-preview-081726/


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