Tag: Rideshare
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Kinetica-2 Y2 Completes Factory Acceptance for 18-Satellite Mission Supporting China’s LEO Constellation Buildout
China’s commercial launch provider CAS Space has completed factory acceptance activities for the second Kinetica-2 rocket, clearing the vehicle for shipment to the launch site ahead of a planned October launch. The company said Aug. 25 that Kinetica-2 Y2 had completed all pre-delivery work, with its functional and performance indicators meeting the requirements of the…
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Multi-Satellite Launches: Why Satellites Are “Riding Together” Into Space
In recent years, rockets around the world have increasingly carried several satellites on a single launch. China’s commercial space sector, for example, recently used a “one rocket, seven satellites” mission to launch the GalaxySpace Lingzhi-09 Thai CubeSat for Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency. So why are satellites increasingly “riding together” into space? What…
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Portal Space Systems Buys Dedicated Falcon 9 Mission for Supernova Debut, Expands Rideshare Opportunities
Portal Space Systems has secured an entire SpaceX Falcon 9 launch for its first Supernova spacecraft mission, a move that gives the Washington-based company direct control over launch timing while creating new rideshare opportunities for other satellite operators. The company announced on Aug. 20 that Falcon 9 will launch its Motus Via Sol mission in…
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Besxar Space Flies Semiconductor Fabships on Falcon 9
Does Besxar Space’s Falcon 9 Semiconductor Test Mark a New In-Space Manufacturing Model? A Washington, D.C.-based startup is using the sub-orbital arc of a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster — not orbital insertion — as its first manufacturing platform. Two Clipper Class Fabships from Besxar Space Industries flew on the Starlink 10-50 mission that lifted off…
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SpaceX delivers 119 payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit on Transporter 16
SpaceX launched 119 payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit from California for the Transporter 16 mission. Being launched as part of SpaceX’s SmallSat Rideshare Program, Transporter 16 and all prior Transporter missions have provided satellite operators with reliable access to space at a cost cheaper than that for a dedicated launch. Launch occurred at 4:02 AM PDT…
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SpaceX, NASA launch TRACERS to study Earth’s magnetic field
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California, carrying a series of investigative missions and technology demonstrators designed to enable new capabilities and reduce time to launch, with several of them fielded under various NASA programs. NASA’s TRACERS mission and other payloads launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East…
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SpaceX launches Transporter 14 rideshare mission
SpaceX’s next mission as part of its Transporter small payload rideshare program, Transporter 14, launched from Space Launch Complex 4E (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Monday, June 23, at 2:25 PM PDT (21:25 UTC), following a 24 hour weather delay. The launch window extended until 3:15 PM PDT (22:15 UTC). After…
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SpaceX Transporter-12 launches more than 100 satellites
On Tuesday, January 14 at 11:09 AM PST (19:09 UTC) SpaceX launched the Transporter-12 rideshare mission from launch complex SLC-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base, deploying more than 100 satellites into orbit. The launch vehicle’s booster returned to land at Vandenberg. Deployment of payloads from the second stage to Sun-synchronous orbits (SSO) at altitudes of…
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SpaceX launches 131 spacecraft on Transporter-12 Falcon 9 rideshare mission from California
A Falcon 9 rocket roars away from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 14, 2025, on the Transporter 12 mission. Image: Space X. SpaceX launched 131 payloads Tuesday onboard the company’s 12th smallsat rideshare mission to date. The Transporter-12 mission flew onboard a Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force…
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SpaceX launches Bandwagon-2 rideshare from Vandenberg
On Saturday, Dec. 21st, SpaceX launched the Bandwagon-2 rideshare mission from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Liftoff occurred as scheduled at 3:34 AM PST (11:34 UTC). This flight carried 30 payloads for a variety of customers, including a synthetic aperture radar satellite for South Korea. The spacecraft were carried…