Rassvet launch - Mar 3
Six satellites of the 16 are now actively engaged in orbit raising but if they're heading 800 km, they don't exactly seem to be in a rush
Launch summary
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#061
Russia launch, Plesetsk Apr 16
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#083
Objects 083F-083J appeared in Space-track data Apr 18 with orbit intersecting that of 083D (assumed to be Volga) at ~5° angle
Did Volga make the manoeuvre or was it something else? Is Volga now at the bottom of the Pacific?
Russia launch from Plesetsk April 16
So far
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#083
Best guess at timeline:
L+0:09 Stage 3 reaches orbit
L+0:10 Volga separates
L+0:58 Volga circularises orbit
L+1:00 Volga releases 83A followed by B & E
L+1:xx Volga manoeuvre to 96°.9 to releases other sats
It was indeed the expected CZ 4C launch vehicle but not a radar sat
It was actually the Daqi 2 climate monitoring sat but was given the same close attention as Gaofen 12 and Ludi Tance on its first circuit
Details, but orbit not yet available
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#084
Russia launch from Plesetsk yesterday
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#083
TASS acknowledged launch several hours after the event but without giving the time
Space-Track has identified at least four objects but, as yet, no indication of whether satellite, rocket or debris
Launch from Plesetsk yesterday - not announced by official Russian sources
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#083
All data, including launch time, are provisional
The orbit listed may be the LV third stage with the satellite having ascended to a significantly higher orbit - maybe 750 km?
SpaceX Transporter 16, Mar 30
Space-Track just issued orbit data for 90 sats but SpaceX listed 92
However, 'HelloWorld 1' and 'Cosmo' are not in SpaceX post-launch list of successful deploys
Full list:
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#067
Rassvet launch - Mar 3
All 16 sats seem to be active
Two commenced orbit raising but ceased Apr 7/8
Another used a thruster, perhaps as a test, then returned to the same height as the rest of the group
It feels as if things are on hold
Launch summary
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#061
China - Jielong 3 launch Apr 11
LV upper stage expected to re-enter after releasing satellite but two objects with distinctly differing perigee heights and inclinations remain in orbit
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#078
China launch April 17, ~04:10 UTC, Jiuquan
Seems to be a CZ 4C
The runes say it may be Gaofen 12-06 or other radar imaging sat but the target LTDN of 10:30 doesn't line up with any of the earlier Gaofen 12s
List of Gaofen sats
orbitalfocus.uk/Diaries/China/Gaofen/Gaofenprog.php
China's Qingzhou test mission, launched Mar 30
What seem to be the three satellites from this launch continue to orbit in close proximity to each other
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#066
Rassvet launch - Mar 3
All 16 satellites have now indicated that they are active
Two of them (68370/2026-061A and 68375/061R) have raised orbit significantly as they ascend towards 800+ km operational orbit
Launch summary
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#061
Rassvet launch - Mar 3
Thirteen of the 16 satellites have now indicated that they are awake
Launch summary
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#061
Rassvet launch - Mar 3
More than half of the 16 satellites have now indicated that they are awake
Launch summary
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#061
China's Qingzhou test mission, launched Mar 30
A new object has separated from Xin Zhengcheng 1 - it may be Tianshi 1
The two are currently keeping close company
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#066
Rassvet launch - Mar 3
First sign of thruster activity
2026-061R raised its orbit by a few hundred metres Apr 5
Start of continuous thruster operation?
061 A, J & R orbits are decaying faster than the rest, maybe these will be the first to move
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#061
China's Qingzhou test mission, launched Mar 30
Based on recently-issued orbit data, I've switched round the numbering of the two Xin Zhengcheng objects
XZ 1 is Qingzhou and XZ 2 is the second sat
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#066
Rassvet launch - Mar 23
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#061
I can't find evidence of its rocket using a Fregat stage
Pre-launch theorising, including by me, over a navigation warning for a rocket re-entry pointed to a Fregat
The zone was actually for Mar 26 Starlink launch from Vandenberg
China's Qingzhou test mission, launched Mar 30, is showing activity on orbit
It has changed orbit and at least one of its passenger satellites seems to have been released
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#066
Russia launch - Mar 23
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#061
s2a recorded 18 objects - 16 in a chain as expected plus further sat or debris item plus rocket body
Space-Track reserved 16 catalogue nos for the sats, and has just listed orbit data for 15
Still awaiting the other three items
Soyuz 5 Test Mission
Bart Hendrikx points out that stage 1 drop zone is ~1500 km north of Baikonur
Stage 2 will be initially on path to 85° inclination, then offset thrust will steer it to the right to achieve 65° and hit the re-entry zone
Flight will therefore be sub-orbital
Rassvet launch
There's no clear explanation of the Pacific navigation warning that seemed to belong to this launch so, as usual, the simplest solution must be the obvious one:
www.orbitalfocus.uk/2026#061
Launch from Baikonur of the new Soyuz 5 rocket is due in the next few days
A NOTAM for an area in the NE Pacific tracks back to Baikonur along a 65° inclination orbit (as used for Sputnik in 1957)
Seems to be for the stage 2 de-orbit, with re-entry about 115 min after lift-off
Soyuz-2.1b launch Mar 23
Info for this launch is still a little confused
My notes so far:
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#061
Unannounced launch from Plesetsk Mar 23, 17:34 UTC
Carried a group of Rassvet satellites and a number of other passengers, reportedly to 82°.3 inclination
Fregat rocket stage caused to re-enter from 80° inclination about 12 hrs after lift off
notes:
orbitalfocus.uk/2026#061
I was tracking a set of navigation warnings covering Mar 19 - 23 for a launch to about 80° inclination from Plesetsk… has the hallmarks of Soyuz + Fregat
Launch seems to have been called off as of Mar 20