IO Group: https://groups.io/g/DARCskynet/topics
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/306498286059167/
Saturday’s DARC SkyNet is at 9PM CT.
Discussion Topic of the Evening.
“Strange Objects We’ve Left on the Moon”
Ashes
A tiny art gallery
Feather and hammer
Apollo 1 Mission Patch
Moon buggies and other lunar equipment
Astronaut David Scott, meanwhile, left a bible behind on the dashboard of a Moon buggy.
Waz Up
Space Exploration and Space History
Space Exploration News
SpaceX Conducts Starship Flight 13 Test Launch with Starlink Payload (July 16, 2026)
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches 21 Satellites for Space Development Agency (July 16, 2026)
NASA Selects 41 Commercial Technology Projects for Lunar Exploration (July 15, 2026)
NASA’s New Horizons Spacecraft Awakens from Yearlong Hibernation in Kuiper Belt (July 9, 2026)
Serbia Signs the Artemis Accords to Join NASA-Led Space Coalition (July 16, 2026)
Space-Related Birthdays
| Astronaut | Birthday | Birth Year | FCC Callsign | Flights | Notes |
| Rick Husband | July 12 | 1957 | None | STS-96, STS-107 | He piloted STS-96, the first space shuttle mission to dock with the International Space Station. He later commanded STS-107, tragically losing his life alongside his crew when Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during atmospheric reentry. |
| George Nelson | July 13 | 1950 | None | STS-41-C, STS-61-C, STS-26 | He conducted two spacewalks during STS-41-C to capture, repair, and redeploy the malfunctioning Solar Maximum Mission satellite. He also flew on STS-26, the vital “Return to Flight” mission following the Challenger disaster. |
| Robert F. Overmyer | July 14 | 1936 | None | STS-5, STS-51-B | He piloted the historic STS-5 mission in 1982, which marked the first fully operational flight of the Space Shuttle program. He later commanded the STS-51-B Spacelab mission, supervising complex scientific experiments in microgravity. |
| Alexander Grebenkin | July 15 | 1982 | None | SpaceX Crew-8 (Expedition 70/71) | He launched to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft in March 2024. During his six-month stay, he served as a flight engineer and participated in numerous scientific experiments. |
| Janet L. Kavandi | July 17 | 1959 | None | STS-91, STS-99, STS-104 | She flew on STS-91, the final Space Shuttle mission to dock with the Russian space station Mir. She later flew on STS-99 to map the Earth’s surface and STS-104 to install the Quest Joint Airlock on the International Space Station. |
| John Glenn | July 18 | 1921 | None | Mercury-Atlas 6, STS-95 | He became a legendary national figure in 1962 as the first American to orbit the Earth aboard Friendship 7. He later returned to space in 1998 aboard STS-95 at age 77, becoming the oldest person to fly in space at that time. |
| Josh A. Cassada | July 18 | 1973 | KI5CRH | SpaceX Crew-5 (Expedition 68) | He launched to the International Space Station as pilot of the SpaceX Crew-5 mission, spending 157 days in orbit. During his stay, he conducted three spacewalks to install new solar arrays on the station’s exterior. |
This Week in Space History
Launch of the Zvezda Service Module (July 12, 2000)
Launch of Luna 15 (July 13, 1969)
Mariner 4 Mars Flyby (July 14, 1965)
Launch of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (July 15, 1975)
Launch of Apollo 11 (July 16, 1969)
Docking of Apollo and Soyuz (July 17, 1975)
Launch of Gemini 10 (July 18, 1966)
Miss Carolyn’s Constellation of the Week
Space Launches For This Week
Space Flight Now Launch Schedule
July 20 Falcon 9 • Starlink 17-39
Launch time: 7 a.m. PDT (10 a.m. EDT / 1400 UTC)
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit. The first-stage booster, tail number B1082, launching for a 23rd time, is scheduled to land on the droneship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You’, in the Pacific Ocean. Delayed from July 18.
Updated: July 13
NET July 20 Starship • Flight 13
Launch time: Window opens 5:45 p.m. CDT (6:45 p.m. EDT / 2245 UTC)
Launch site: Pad 2, Starbase, Texas
A SpaceX Starship-Super Heavy rocket (collectively referred to as Starship) will launch from Starbase, Texas, on a suborbital test flight. As on the previous flight, the Super Heavy booster (Booster 20) and Starship upper stage (Ship 40) will not be recovered but will attempt controlled splash downs in the Gulf of Mexico and Indian Ocean respectively. Starship will deploy 20 V3 Starlink satellites for a brief suborbital test. Aborted on July 16 due to an engine issue at ignition.
Updated: July 17
NET July 21 Falcon 9 • Mission Robotic Vehicle
Launch time: Window opens at 5:15 p.m. EDT (2115 UTC)
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A Falcon 9 will launch Northrup Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) and Mission Extension Pods, a robotic space servicing mission. The first stage booster will be expended on this mission.
Updated: July 14
July 24 Falcon 9 • Starlink 17-51
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit. The first-stage booster, tail number B1081, launching for a 26th time, is scheduled to land on the droneship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You’, in the Pacific Ocean. Delayed from July 23.
Updated: July 13
July 28 Falcon 9 • Starlink 17-52
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch another batch of 24 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit. The first-stage booster, tail number B1081, launching for a 26th time, is scheduled to land on the droneship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You’, in the Pacific Ocean.
Updated: July 17
TBD Spectrum • ‘Onward and Upward’
Launch time: Window opens at 10 p.m. CEST (4 p.m. EDT / 2000 UTC)
Launch site: Launch Complex 1, Andøya Spaceport, Norway
A Spectrum rocket from Isar Aerospace will launch on its second test flight. The two-stage rocket is carrying five CubeSats onboard: CyBEEsat from TU Berlin, TriSat-S from the University of Maribor, Platform 6 from EnduroSat, FramSat-1 from NTNU, and SpaceTeamSat1 from TU Wien Space Team. The sixth and final announced payload is an experiment called “Let it Go” from Dcubed. Exolaunch is responsible for managing payload integration and deployment. Delayed from Jan. 21 due to a pressurization valve issue. Delayed from March 23 due to strong winds. Delayed from March 25 due to boat in the keep out zone. Delayed from April 9 and June 15.
Updated: June 26
Late summer Alpha • FLTA008
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-2, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
A Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket will launch on mission for a yet unannounced customer. This will be the debut of the Block 2 iteration of the rocket, which features larger liquid oxygen tanks on both the first and second stages, increasing the overall length of the rocket by two meters.
Updated: May 05
TBD Falcon 9 • Globalstar 2-R Launch 1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch nine of its HIBLEO-4 satellites into low Earth orbit. This is the first of two launches that constitute a replenishment of its HIBLEO-4 fleet. Nearly 8.5 minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9 first stage booster, tail number B1090, launching for a 12th time, will target a landing on the drone ship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, positioned in the Atlantic Ocean. Delayed from May 18. Delayed from May 20.
Updated: June 17
NET Q4 2026 Vulcan Centaur • Dream Chaser 1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket will launch on its second demonstration flight with Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser cargo vehicle for the International Space Station. The Dream Chaser is a lifting body resupply spacecraft that will launch on top of a rocket and land on a runway. This will be the Dream Chaser’s first flight to space. The Vulcan Centaur rocket will fly in the VC4L configuration with four GEM-63XL solid rocket boosters, a long-length payload fairing, and two RL10 engines on the Centaur upper stage. Delayed from August 2022, December 2023, January 2024, April 2024 and September 2024. Delayed from 2025.
Updated: December 22
TBD Atlas 5 • Boeing Starliner-1
Launch time: TBD
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket will launch Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station. Originally planned as the first post-certification flight with a four-person crew, this will instead be an uncrewed cargo flight to test changes to the vehicle made in the aftermath of the Crewed Flight Test that launched in 2024.
Visible satellite passages over the next couple of days.
You can use the http://www.heavens-above.com website to find out what’s in orbit and
where to look during fly-overs
All times are “local” (Dallas) time.
Page 1