The Complete 2010 Launch Forecast

LAST UPDATED July 2, 2010: Thanks to all of you who are writing in with corrections to this launch forecast. Please remember to cite your source for any suggestions you make. And as always, please remember that there is no greater work of fiction than a Web site's launch schedule. These dates are often based on unofficial sources and change almost every day. Please DO NOT schedule travel based on a date you see here:

2010

July 10: An International Launch Services Proton rocket will launch the new EchoStar 15 communications satellite from the Central Asian spaceport of Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. 2:40 p.m. EDT (1840 GMT).

July 18: A United States Air Force Minotaur 4 rocket to launch the first satellite in a planned Space-Based Surveillance System in a mission to blast off from Space Launch Complex 8 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. 12:41-12:55 a.m. (0441-0455 GMT).

July 27: India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) to launch the Cartosat 2B Earth-observation satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India. 11:53 p.m. EDT (0353 GMT).

July 30: A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket to launch the U.S. military's Advanced Extremely High Frequency 1 (AEHF 1) communications satellite into orbit from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

August 3: An Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket to launch the new Rascom-QAF 1R and Nilesat 201 from Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.

August 31: A Russian-built Proton booster to loft three new Glonass navigation satellites into orbit from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

communications satellites from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.

August: Japan's workhorse H-2A rocket to launch the new Michibiki satellite, formerly as the Quasi-Zenith Satellite, to boost Global Positioning Satellite services in Japan. 9:54-10:54 a.m. EDT (1354-1454 GMT).

August: An International Launch Services Proton rocket to loft the SkyTerra 1 mobile communications satellite from the Central Asian spaceport of Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

*NET Late August: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the company's second such booster, to launch the first Dragon spacecraft on a 4 1/2-hour demonstration flight (Dragon C1)? to blast off from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

September 1: A United States Air Force Minotaur 4 rocket to launch the Space Test Program S26 mission, which includes multiple payloads from the USAF, NASA and others, from Kodiak Island in Alaska. ?

September 7: A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket to launch a classified reconnaissance satellite (NROL-41) for the National Reconnaissance Office from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

September 8: A Russian Soyuz rocket to launch the unmanned Progress 39 cargo ship from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to deliver new supplies to the crew of the International Space Station.

September: An Arianespace Soyuz rocket to launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to orbit six new Globalstar mobile communications satellites.

September: An Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket to launch the W3B and BSAT 3b communications satellites for Eutelsat and Japan from Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.

October 8: A Russian-built Soyuz rocket to launch three new crewmembers to the International Space Station aboard a new digital Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft blasting off from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan to boost the outpost's Expedition 24 crew.

October 19: A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket to liftoff from Space Launch Complex 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying the classified NROL-32 spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

October 27: A Russian Soyuz rocket to launch the unmanned Progress 40 cargo ship from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to deliver new supplies to the crew of the International Space Station.

October 29: A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 rocket to launch the COSMO-SkyMed 4 radar satellite for Italy from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. 10:21-10:34 p.m. EDT (0221-0234 Oct. 30 GMT).

October 29: A Russian-Ukranian Dnepr rocket to launch several satellites for Nigeria, Turkey, the University of Rome and others from Yasny launch base in Russia.

October: A Chinese Long March 3A rocket to launch the new Chang'e 2 spacecraft ? the country's second lunar orbiter ? from Xichang Space Center in the Sichuan province.

Fourth Quarter: ?A Russian Rockot booster to launch two additions to the Gonets satellite communications network from Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia.

Fourth Quarter: ?A Zenit 3F rocket to launch the Russian Spektr R radio astronomy observatory from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Fourth Quarter: An Arianespace Soyuz rocket to launch on its debut flight from a brand-new launch pad at Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana to send the Hylas communications satellite into orbit for Avanti Communications of the United Kingdom.

*NET November 1: The space shuttle Discovery will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on what is expected to be the final space shuttle flight in history to deliver a huge shelf of spare parts and a cargo module that has been refitted to serve as a permanent storage module on the International Space Station. 4:33 p.m. EDT (2033 GMT).

November 17: A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket to liftoff from Space Launch Complex 37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida carrying the GPS 2F-2 global positioning system satellite for the U.S. Air Force.

November 22: An Orbital Sciences-built Taurus rocket to blast off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to launch the Glory Earth-watching satellite to monitor Earth's black carbon and aerosol levels in the atmosphere and other climate-related phenomena. 5:09 a.m. EST (1009 GMT).

November 30: An Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket to launch the new Automated Transfer Vehicle 2 (ATV-2) Johannes Kepler, an unmanned cargo ship to deliver supplies to the International Space Station, from Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.

November: A Minotaur 4 rocket to launch the new TacSat-4 demonstration satellite from Kodiak Island in Alaska.

December 1: A United Launch Alliance Delta 4-Heavy rocket to liftoff from California's Vandenberg Air Force Station carrying the classified NROL-49 spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.

December 10: A Russian-built Soyuz rocket to launch three new crewmembers to the International Space Station aboard a Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft blasting off from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan to boost the outpost's Expedition 25 crew.

December 10: A Minotaur 1 rocket to launch the Operationally Responsive Space 1 satellite from Wallops Island, Virginia.

December 27: A Russian Soyuz rocket to launch the unmanned Progress 41 cargo ship from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to deliver new supplies to the crew of the International Space Station.

Early 2011: An Arianespace-managed Soyuz 2-1b rocket to launch two Galileo navigation satellites for the European Galileo navigation system from Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.

Early 2011: An Arianespace-managed Soyuz 2-1a rocket to launch its second mission from Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, this one to orbit the Pleiades 1 Earth-observation satellite as well as four ELISA electronic intelligence satellites and Chile's SSOT remote-sensing spacecraft.

*NET February: The third Falcon 9 rocket built by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to launch the second Dragon test flight (Dragon C2) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

*NET February 26, 2011: NASA's space shuttle Endeavour is slated to launch the STS-134 mission to the International Space Station to deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a billion-dollar experiment, as well as vital supplies and spare parts.

Previous Launches
2009 | 2008 | 2007 |2006 |2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |
Launch Database from Florida Today