WASHINGTON — The latest SpaceX rideshare mission Jan. 14 deployed more than 130 satellites, ranging from dozens of Earth imaging satellites to reentry vehicles, tugs and even a “selfie sat.”
A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 2:09 p.m. Eastern on the Transporter-12 mission. The rocket’s first stage, on its second flight, landed back at the launch site as the second stage went into a sun-synchronous orbit.
SpaceX said the Transporter-12 mission carried 131 payloads, counting 14 payloads on orbital transfer vehicles that will be deployed later. Planet was the largest single customer on the mission, with 36 of its Dove imaging cubesats and its second Pelican high-resolution imaging satellite.
Several other companies and organizations had imaging satellites on Transporter-12, including returning customers Iceye and Satellogic. The UAE’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre launched MBZ-Sat, a 750-kilogram high-resolution imaging satellite that was the largest single payload on the mission.
Pixxel, an Indian startup developing hyperspectral satellites, launched its first three Firefly high-resolution satellites on the mission. The company, which raised $24 million in December as an extension to its Series B round, plans to use the funding to help deploy an 18-satellite constellation and build out an analytics platform.
“The successful deployment of our first commercial satellites is a defining moment for Pixxel and a giant leap toward redefining how we use space technology to address the planet’s challenges,” Awais Ahmed, co-founder and chief executive of Pixxel, said in a statement.
D-Orbit included its latest orbital transfer vehicles, called SCV Amazing Antonius and SCV Eminent Emmanuel, on Transporter-12 while Impulse Space flew LEO Express-2, the second flight of its Mira vehicle. Impulse Space said LEO Express-2 will deploy cubesats for FOSSA Systems and SatRev and carry a hosted payload for HEO to perform non-Earth imaging, while also testing Mira’s propulsion and communications systems.
Transporter-12 also flew return vehicles for two companies. Varda Space Industries flew its second mission, called W-2, which carries the company’s own pharmaceutical reactor as well as payloads for NASA and the U.S. Air Force. The company will return the capsule to the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia after the first mission landed at the Utah Test and Training Range after months of regulatory delays.
Inversion Space is flying its first mission, called Ray, which will remain in orbit for at a few weeks before returning and splashing down off the California coast as a test of its precision reentry technology. “The purpose of Ray, with the majority of its parts developed in-house and purpose-built for our needs, is to inform our next-generation re-entry vehicle, Arc,” said Justin Fiaschetti, chief executive of Inversion, in a pre-launch statement.
Among the other payloads on Transporter-12 is a smallsat called SatGus. The 12U cubesat, built by Italian manufacturer Tyvak International in partnership with CrunchLabs, an initiative founded by YouTube content creator Mark Roper, includes a video screen that people can upload images to. A camera on SatGus takes a picture of that screen with the Earth in the background, creating what CrunchLabs calls “space selfies.”
“Making space more accessible for all is at the heart of our business,” said Chad Brinkley, chief executive of SEOPS, which handled the rideshare accommodations for SatGus. “We’re proud to support CrunchLabs’ efforts to engage, inspire and increase public interest in space exploration.”
The Transporter line of missions has made space more accessible to many companies and organizations. SpaceX said it has flown more than 1,100 payloads on rideshare missions to date. That includes the 12 Transporter missions to sun-synchronous orbits as well as two Bandwagon missions to mid-inclination orbits and miscellaneous other rideshare opportunities.
Those frequent, relatively low-cost flight opportunities have been a boon for many startups, offering affordable access to space. Some launch companies, though, have criticized SpaceX for offering launches at prices they allege are intended to drive out competition.
