SpaceX fleet for Transporter-1 mission viewed from space on Sentinel satellites

Friday morning SpaceX plans to launch their first dedicated ridesharing mission. Ahead of the launch, one of the Sentinel-2 Earth-observing satellites conveniently passed over the landing zone for the mission while showing SpaceX’s fleet ready to perform their rocket-catching duties.

Sometimes we forget about the hardworking individuals that bear the rough seas that allow SpaceX to recover their boosters. SpaceX’s next mission, Transporter-1, will be the second polar launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station since the option was re-opened for use.

Friend of the site Harry Stranger, famous for being able to find interesting space-related features using public data from EArth imaging satellites, got lucky with clear skies and tracked down the fleet of ships supporting tomorrow’s launch just off the coast of South Florida. SpaceX’s droneship Of Course I Still Love You towed by tugboat Finn Falgout and support ship GO Searcher are awaiting the launch inside the landing zone.

The photos were taken using ESA’s Sentinal-2 constellation that offers its services for agricultural monitoring, emergency management, land cover classification, and water quality.

SpaceX will launch a Sherpa-FX dispenser that will deliver multiple payloads to a Sun-Synchronous orbit. Some of the customers on this mission include SpaceX’s Starlink, Nanoracks, U.S. Depart of Defense, and ExoSpace. The Starlink satellites will be the first polar satellites of the constellation to be able to offer their internet service in very high latitudes sections of the Earth.

SpaceX is hoping to launch this payload from SLC-40 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Friday morning at 9:24 a.m. EST on a four times flown booster. If successful, this will end up being the second fastest turnaround time for SpaceX’s boosters.

Enjoy reading Space Explored?