KEY POINTS

  • SpaceX and Boing are set for significant rocket launches this week
  • SpaceX will carry a broadband satellite that will provide much needed internet to South East Asia and the Pacific Islands
  • Boeing will launch the Starliner crew capsule for the first time 

It was only recently that SpaceX brought precious cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), but the company is already preparing for its second to the last launch for the year. However, it is not the only company preparing for a launch this week, as Boeing is also preparing a major launch of its own.

SpaceX Satellite Launch

The JCSAT-18/Kacific-1 satellite launch was originally set for a November launch but was delayed and is now set for a Dec. 16 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard the Falcon 9. The Monday mission will bring the JCSAT-18/Kacific-1 broadband communications satellite, co-owned by Japan's Sky Perfect JSAT Corp. and Singapore's Kacific Broadband Satellites, into orbit.

The satellite will stream broadband to 25 Pacific Island and South East Asian nations, with a maximum bandwidth of 70 gigabits per second. According to Kacific CEO Christian Patouraux, this would provide much needed communication services in the region where high prices are limiting access to it. With the new satellite, the hope is to provide high-speed and affordable internet to many users.

SpaceX will stream the mission, starting from about 15 minutes before liftoff.

That said, SpaceX's JCSAT-18/Kacific-1 launch is still just its second to the last launch for the year as it is also preparing for the Starlink -2 mission just before the year ends on Dec. 30. That is, of course, if there are no delays.

Boeing Starliner's First Flight

Also this week is the historic Boeing Starliner Crew Capsule launch set for Dec. 20. It will be the Starliner crew capsule's very first flight to the ISS, bringing with it only the mannequin “Rosie,” which will be fitted with sensors that will measure the kind of G forces that human crew members might experience inside the spacecraft.

With this week's test launch, the hope is that astronauts will soon be able to launch to the ISS directly from American soil for the first time in almost a decade. The last time that this happened was in 2011, and since then astronauts have been getting a ride to the ISS through Russian Soyuz rockets.

Should the mission prove successful, the Starliner's second launch will be some time next year, and it will already carry human crew members.

Boeing Starliner
Pictured: Boeing Starliner being transported from NASA's Kennedy Space Center to a facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. NASA
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