SpaceX standby rideshares gain popularity
SpaceX's smallsat rideshare program, now five years old, is experiencing increased demand, leading the company to emphasize flexibility in its launch services to accommodate more customers.
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Smallsat
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SpaceX's Transporter-14 Mission: Launch Delayed but Still Set to Carry Diverse Cargo
SpaceX is set to launch its Transporter-14 mission from Vandenberg, carrying 70 payloads on a Falcon 9 rocket, after a 24-hour weather delay. The mission features a reusable booster, B1071, making its 26th flight, and includes payloads from multiple international companies, with Exolaunch managing 45 of the payloads. The launch also involves the deployment of the Mission Possible capsule by The Exploration Company, marking a significant European reentry vehicle development. The mission underscores SpaceX's ongoing smallsat rideshare program and its plans to support future Starship launches.
"New Glenn to Launch NASA's Mars Smallsat Mission"
NASA's Mars smallsat mission, ESCAPADE, is expected to be on the inaugural launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket within a year, although there are risks associated with the rocket's readiness and schedule. The ESCAPADE mission aims to study the interaction of the solar wind with Mars' magnetosphere. The launch is considered an ambitious first mission for New Glenn, and NASA is willing to accept some risk due to the mission's classification as "class D." The contracting approach used for ESCAPADE, called VADR, limits NASA's insight and confidence in determining the launch readiness.
NASA Chooses SpaceX for Small Satellite Mission Launch
NASA has chosen SpaceX to launch the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS), a pair of smallsats designed to study space weather and the magnetosphere. The launch is scheduled for no earlier than April 2025 and will be part of a rideshare mission. TRACERS will be the primary payload on a Falcon 9 rocket, and once in sun-synchronous orbit, the spacecraft will investigate magnetic reconnection between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere. The mission is led by the University of Iowa and the spacecraft are being built by Millennium Space Systems.
SpaceX Launches Multiple Missions, Including SmallSat Rideshare and Startup Incubator.
SpaceX launched its eighth dedicated smallsat rideshare mission, Transporter-8, carrying 72 payloads, including satellites from the US Space Force and startups deploying their first satellites. The mission featured a mix of established and emerging satellite developers, with several companies flying their first spacecraft on Transporter-8. SpaceX has attracted significant demand for its Transporter missions, which offer launches three to four times a year at prices significantly less than dedicated launches on small launch vehicles.
SpaceX nails seventh Transporter rideshare mission launch and landing.
SpaceX launched over 50 satellites on its latest Falcon 9 smallsat rideshare mission, Transporter-7, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The launch carried 51 payloads, including imaging, greenhouse gas monitoring, and radiofrequency monitoring satellites. The company used a shorter nozzle on the rocket's upper-stage engine, which saved money, and landed the booster using three engines instead of one. SpaceX has increased prices for Transporter missions, but demand remains high due to the reliability and cost-effectiveness of the rideshare model.