After the busy summer starts, the space industry is likely to calm down in July. So far, only two missions have confirmed the launch date, although if the tentative schedule holds the tentative time. SpaceX, which starts in June, includes multiple Falcon 9 releases and continues Starlink expansion, has only carried out one confirmed mission this month, starting with a contract with the U.S. Space Force.
Despite the intensification of geopolitical tensions over trade and tariffs between the United States and India, space agencies in both countries (NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)) are still advancing with major joint satellite launches. Here are the key missions to watch in July:
July 3: Roscosmos launches progress MS-31 to ISS. Russia’s Roscosmos will launch a SOYUZ 2.1A rocket carrying a progressive MS-31 (92p) cargo spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This mission is the 92nd of its kind and will provide fresh supplies and equipment for the International Space Station. Like previous progress vehicles, the spacecraft will be docked for several months, although a return date has not been determined.
July 5 (tentative): NASA and India release joint satellites. ISRO is expected to launch NASA-ISRO synthetic aperture (Nisar) satellite satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in India. NISAR, developed in collaboration with NASA and ISRO, will use dual-band radar to track changes in the Earth’s surface, from landslides and volcanoes to sea level rise and forest losses. It marks a major milestone in the US-India space cooperation.
July 24: Roscosmos launches Ionosfera-M 3 and 4. Roscosmos plans to launch the last two satellites on its four-defense ion Ionosfera-M constellation on Soyuz 2.1b and get the Fregat-M Upper stage from Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East. The mission aims to study the ionosphere and magnetosphere of the two key layers of the Earth’s upper atmosphere, and nine scientific instruments were used on board.
TBD: ULA prepares for the Vulcan Centaur Mission of USSF-106. The United Launch Alliance aims to pilot its Vulcan Centauro rocket for the first time under the U.S. Space Force’s National Security Space Launch Program. The task, designated as USSF-106, will carry a confidential payload and is the first of more than twelve expected under this contract. Although initially planned this summer, the complex processing requirements for payloads may delay the schedule.
TBD: NASA’s SpaceX Reage-11. SpaceX may end its 11th crew mission this month as part of NASA’s commercial crew program. The mission, launched from Cape Canaveral, will carry four astronauts: NASA Commander Zena Cardman, Pilot Mike Fincke, Jaxa astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos Cosmonaut Cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
