December Launch Schedule 2020

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Here is your one-stop shop for space launches with our December launch schedule. This month sees 73 satellites launched, 1 cargo delivery to the ISS and 2 test flights. Read on to find out more!

Last updated: January 9^th 2021

Satellite Launches

LAUNCH SUCCESS 2^nd Falcon Eye 2 : An Arianespace Soyuz rocket launches on a mission for the United Arab Emirates. The Falcon Eye 2 Earth-imaging satellite was built by Airbus with optical imaging by Thales Alenia Space, and will launch from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana at 01:33 GMT. Delayed from October 15^th 2019, November 2019, March 6^th, April 14^th September, October 17^th, November 4^th and 28^th. Scrubbed on November 29^th due to risk of lightning and on December 1^st.

LAUNCH SUCCESS 3^rd Gonets M : Russia launches 3 Gonets M communications satellites from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia AT 01:14 GMT. They will launch aboard a Russian government Soyuz rocket alongside international rideshare payloads. Delayed from November 24^th.

LAUNCH SUCCESS 6^th Gaofen 14 : The Gaofen 14 Earth observation satellite is launched aboard a Chinese Long March 3B rocket. The launch takes place at 03:58 GMT from Xichang, China.

LAUNCH SUCCESS 9^th GECAM : The Chinese Gravitational Wave High-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-Sky Monitor (GECAM) mission launches aboard a Long March 11 rocket from Xichang, China at 20:14 GMT. It consists of 2 separate satellites.

LAUNCH SUCCESS 11^th NROL-44 : The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office will use a United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket to launch a classified spy satellite. Named NROL-44, the mission will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 01:09 GMT. Delayed from June and August 26^th. Scrubbed on August 27^th. Aborted at T-minus 3 seconds on August 29^th. Delayed from September 26^th by swing arm issue. Scrubbed on September 29^th due to nearby lightning strike and on September 30^th due to hydraulic leak. Aborted at T-minus 7 seconds on October 1^st. Delayed from October 16^th and 24^th.

LAUNCH SUCCESS 13^th SXM 7 : SpaceX launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 17:30 GMT. It will contain the SXM 7 satellite, built by Maxar Technologies for SiriusXM. Delayed from August 1^st and November. Scrubbed December 11^th. The satellite later failed in orbit.

LAUNCH SUCCESS 15^th Owl’s Night Begins : Rocket Lab launch Synspective‘s StriX-a synthetic aperture radar satellite at 10:09 GMT. Nicknamed ‘Owl’s Night Begins’, the mission will launch aboard an Electron rocket and contains the first satellite of Synspective’s planned constellation. Delayed from December 12^th due to solar eclipse.

LAUNCH SUCCESS 17^th CMS 1 : ISRO launch the CMS 1 satellite, formerly known as GSAT 12R. It will be launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India at approximately 10:11 GMT. Delayed from December 7^th and 14^th.

LAUNCH SUCCESS 18^th OneWeb 4 : From the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia, a Soyuz rocket launches 36 satellites for OneWeb as part of their broadband constellation. The rocket will launch at 12:26 GMT. Delayed from mid-2020 by bankruptcy.

LAUNCH SUCCESS 19^th NROL-108 : The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office launches NROL-108, containing a classified spacecraft payload. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch it from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 14:00 GMT. Delayed from October 25^th and December 17^th.

LAUNCH SUCCESS 22^nd XJY 7 : China launch a classified payload named XJY 7 aboard a Long March 8 rocket from Wenchang, China. This will be the rocket’s inaugural flight. Delayed from December 20^th due to poor weather.

LAUNCH SUCCESS 27^th Yaogen 33 : China launch the Yaogan 33 military reconnaissance satellite aboard a Long March 4C rocket. It will launch from Jiuquan, China at 15:44 GMT.

LAUNCH SUCCESS 29^th CSO 2 : An Arianespace Soyuz rocket will launch the second Composante Spatiale Optique military reconnaissance satellite into polar orbit for CNES and DGA. The launch will happen at 16:42 GMT from Sinnamary, French Guiana. Delayed from April 10^th and December 28^th.

Launches to the ISS

LAUNCH SUCCESS 6^th SpaceX CRS 21 : A Dragon 2 spacecraft makes its first cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It will launch from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida at 16:17 GMT. Delayed from August 5^th, October 30^th, November 15^th and 22^nd and December 2^nd and 5^th.

Test Flights

LAUNCH SUCCESS 14^th Test Flight : The second orbital test flight of a Russian government Angara-A5 rocket at 05:50 GMT. Delayed from December 2019, mid-2020 and November 3^rd, 24^th and 28^th.

LAUNCH FAILURE 15^th Test Flight : Astra‘s Rocket 3.2 will launch a commercial small satellite launch vehicle in an experimental orbital launch attempt AT 20:55 GMT. Delayed from December 11^th due to poor weather.

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