SpaceX’s 100th Launch, China’s Double Liftoff, Astronaut’s Heroic Return & Mercury’s Big Shrink – Aug 17-18 Space Highlights
On Aug. 17, China launched the Long March-4C from Xichang at 4:55 p.m. local time with the Shiyan-28B 02 satellite for space environment exploration and technology tests. Hours later on Aug. 17, China launched a Long March-6 from Taiyuan at 10:15 p.m., deploying the ninth batch of low-Earth orbit satellites to form a new internet constellation. These dual Aug. 17 launches marked the 589th and 590th missions of China’s Long March rocket family. On Aug. 17, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returned to New Delhi after piloting Axiom Space’s Ax-4 mission, which launched June 25 and splashed down July 15 after