Here is your one-stop shop for space launches with our April launch schedule! This month sees 2 launches to space stations and 164 satellites launched. Read on to find out more!
Last updated: May 8th 2021
Launches to Space Stations
- LAUNCH SUCCESS 9th ISS 64S : A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the next Expedition crew to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft. It will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan at 08:42 BST.
- LAUNCH SUCCESS 23rd Crew 2 : The second operational flight of a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft will take 4 astronauts to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida at 10:49 BST. Delayed from March 30th, April 20th and 22nd.
Satellite Launches
- LAUNCH SUCCESS 7th Starlink V1.0-L23 : SpaceX launch the 24th batch of about 60 satellites for their Starlink broadband network. Designated Starlink V1.0-L23, it will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida at 17:34 BST.
- LAUNCH SUCCESS 25th OneWeb 6 : 36 OneWeb satellites are launched aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia at 23:14 BST.
- LAUNCH SUCCESS 26th NROL-82 : The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office launches a classified spy satellite aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket. Named NROL-82, the mission will launch from the Vandenburg Air Force Base, California between 20:39 and 23:57 BST. Delayed from September 2019.
- LAUNCH SUCCESS 27th Qilu 1 & Qilu 4 : China launch 2 Earth observation satellites aboard a Long March 6 rocket from Taiyuan, China at 04:20 BST. It will carry some smaller payloads alongside.
- LAUNCH SUCCESS 29th Pléiades Neo 3 : Arianespace launch the Pléiades Neo 3 Earth observation satellites for Airbus. It will launch aboard a Vega rocket alongside various rideshare payloads from Kourou, French Guiana at 02:50 BST. Delayed from February, late March, April 20th and 27th.
- LAUNCH SUCCESS 29th Starlink V1.0-L24 : A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches about 60 satellites for their broadband network. The 25th batch launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida at 04:44 BST. Watch it live from 04:29 BST.
- LAUNCH SUCCESS 29th Tianhe 1 : Named Tianhe 1, the core module for a Chinese space station in low Earth orbit launches aboard a Long March 5B rocket. It will launch from Wenchang, China.
- LAUNCH SUCCESS 30th Yaogan 34 : China launch the Yaogan 34 military optical spy satellite. It will launch aboard a Long March 4C rocket from Jiuquan, China at 08:27 BST.