On June 25, 2016 at 12:00 UTC the Chang Zheng-7 (Long March-7) rocket-carrier was launched from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center (WSLC), located in Wenchang on Hainan Island off China’s southern coastline.

The new Long March 7 rocket, developed to become a workhorse for a planned Chinese space station and the country’s clandestine military space program, flew into orbit on its inaugural flight from a launch base on Hainan Island in the South China Sea. The “Long March-7” is the most powerful rocket ever built in China, with capacity to place nearly 13.5 tons — into low Earth orbit. A sub-scale capsule for a next-generation crew spaceship also flew on Saturday’s launch for an atmospheric re-entry test, kicking off development o ... Read more »

On June 24, 2016 at 14:30 UTC the “Atlas-5” rocket-carrier was launched from Cape Canaveral launch site of US Air Force. The launch was performed by United Launch Alliance supported by the 45th Space Wing of US Air Force. The rocket orbited the “MUOS-5” military communication satellite. It is the fifth communications spacecraft for the Navy’s Mobile User Objective System today to form a new rugged smartphone network for the U.S. military.

On June 22, 2016 at 13:29 UTC the US "Cygnus” (CRS OA 6 “Rick Husband”) unmanned supply spacecraft was deorbited. The spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere and burned up over the South Pacific Ocean. Packed with trash and other equipment tagged for disposal, an Orbital Sciences Corp. “Cygnus” spacecraft plunged back into the atmosphere over the uninhabited Pacific Ocean. It was the 5th flight of "Cygnus” to the ISS.

On June 22, 2016 at 03:55 UTC the PSLV-XL C34 rocket-carrier was launched from Sriharikota spaceport, 80 km from Chennai, India. The rocket (PSLV - Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) orbited 20 satellites. The prime payload aboard the PSLV was the “Cartosat-2C” Earth imaging satellite to feed high-resolution mapping data to the Indian military. It will be the sharpest-eyed satellite ever launched by India with the ability to resolve objects on the ground as small as 60 centimeters.

On June 18, 2016 at 21:39 UTC the “Ariane-5” rocket-carrier was launched from Kourou Cosmodrome in French Guiana. The rocket orbited the " EchoStar XVIII” and the “BRIsat” telecommunication satellites. Both satellites were made by Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, California, USA. “With the launch of BRIsat, we are proud to be the first and only bank in the world to operate a satellite,” said Asmawi Syam Syamsuddin, CEO of Bank Rakyat Indonesia, BRIsat’s owner. “It’s not only a proud moment for BRI, but also for our country, Indonesia. He said. “We hope that BRIsat will mark a new era in banking and a stepping stone for the financial industry, not only in Indonesia but also the world.” The craft will expand secure banking communications to almost 60 million customers across the Indonesia archipelago, including locations where banking services were p ... Read more »