{"id":9566,"date":"2026-05-02T20:45:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T12:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-launches-south-korean-earth-observation-satellite-plus-44-more-payloads-on-midnight-falcon-9-rideshare-mission\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T20:45:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T12:45:27","slug":"spacex-launches-south-korean-earth-observation-satellite-plus-44-more-payloads-on-midnight-falcon-9-rideshare-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-launches-south-korean-earth-observation-satellite-plus-44-more-payloads-on-midnight-falcon-9-rideshare-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX launches South Korean Earth observation satellite, plus 44 more payloads on midnight Falcon 9 rideshare mission"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_73329\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-73329\" style=\"width: 678px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-73329\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260503_CAS_500_2_Fig_Mtn_Streak_16mm.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"313\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260503_CAS_500_2_Fig_Mtn_Streak_16mm.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260503_CAS_500_2_Fig_Mtn_Streak_16mm-300x138.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-73329\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A streak shot of SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket during the CAS500-2 mission, which launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on May 3, 2026. Image: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em><strong>Update May 3, 6:17 a.m. EDT (1017 UTC): SpaceX confirmed deployment of all payloads.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>SpaceX launched 45 payloads on an overnight rideshare mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Station early Sunday morning.<\/p>\n<p>The mission, dubbed CAS500-2, is named for the primary payload called Compact Advanced Satellite 500-2 from the Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd. (KAI). It\u2019s the second of two satellites that KAI calls Phase 1 of its CAS500 program, which is designed for \u201cprecision ground-based observation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East happened at 12 a.m. PDT (3 a.m. EDT \/ 0700 UTC). The rocket deployed the CAS500-2 satellite into a Sun-synchronous orbit about 60 minutes after launch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis mission reflects the strength of the U.S.\u2013Republic of Korea alliance and Vandenberg\u2019s enduring role in assuring access to space for our nation, allies and partners,\u201d Space Launch Delta 30 said in a pre-launch statement. \u201cBy enabling trusted international partners to place capabilities on orbit, the Vandenberg Spaceport supports peaceful space cooperation, regional stability and a free and open Indo-Pacific.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2vYPVVe6INg\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Falcon 9 first stage booster B1071 completed its 33rd flight on this mission. It previously launched the SARah-1 satellite for Germany, NASA\u2019s Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission, five times the National Reconnaissance Office, five SmallSat rideshare missions, and 20 deliveries of Starlink satellites.<\/p>\n<p>Less than 7.5 minutes after liftoff, B1071 landed at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4), adjacent to the pad it launched from. This was the 34th landing at this site and the 608th booster landing for SpaceX to date.<\/p>\n<p>According to Korea JoongAng Daily, a South Korean publication, the CAS500-2 satellite was originally scheduled to launch in 2022 on a Russian rocket, but the mission faced years of delays due to Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdditional delays occurred after SpaceX changed plans for a joint launch with another satellite, resulting in a separate launch,\u201d reporter Yoon Seung-Jin wrote. \u201cAs a result, CAS500-2 will launch later than CAS500-3, which was sent into space aboard Korea\u2019s Nuri rocket in November last year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CAS500-4 and CAS500-5 round out Phase 2 of KAI\u2019s CAS500 program. Those satellites were slated to launch in 2025, but a new launch date for those has not been announced.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_73320\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-73320\" style=\"width: 678px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-73320\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260502_CAS500_satellites.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"678\" height=\"393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260502_CAS500_satellites.png 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/20260502_CAS500_satellites-300x174.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 678px) 100vw, 678px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-73320\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An artist\u2019s rendering of the CAS500-1 and CAS500-2 satellites. Graphic: KARI<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4>Along for the ride<\/h4>\n<p>The Falcon 9 rocket carried with it a series of 44 other payloads manifested by multiple partners. The vast majority of the satellites were manifested by Exolaunch, using a variety of deployment mechanisms.<\/p>\n<p>The company was responsible for deploying 21 CubeSats and 18 MicroSats across two deployment sequences.<\/p>\n<p>The first batch of satellites were released beginning about an hour and 16 minutes after liftoff, over a period of six minutes, and the second batch about two hours and 22 minutes after liftoff, in a sequence lasting about eight minutes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis mission reflects how Exolaunch is scaling alongside growing launch demand,\u201d said Jeanne Allarie, chief investor relations officer at Exolaunch, in statement. \u201cAs we quickly expand the number of missions we support each year, we\u2019re strengthening our sales pipeline and deepening collaboration with SpaceX to deliver consistent, reliable access to orbit for our global customers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 649px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2048686822717338004&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2026%2F05%2F02%2Flive-coverage-spacex-to-launch-south-korean-earth-observation-satellite-44-more-payloads-on-overnight-falcon-9-rideshare-mission%2F&amp;sessionId=57ae69b1bb86d06c849d96c02984305182d5fd27&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"2048686822717338004\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Argotec, an Italian company that opened a new satellite integration facility in Melbourne, Florida, in April 2026, manifested seven of its HEO (Hawk for Earth Observation) MicroSats, which are part of the IRIDE (<b>I<\/b>niziativi di <b>R<\/b>esilienza per l\u2019<b>I<\/b>talia <b>D<\/b>alle <b>E<\/b>mergenze) constellation. IRIDE also has support from the European Space Agency (ESA).<\/p>\n<p>There were eight HEO satellites on orbit prior to May 3, which launched on two previous Falcon 9 rockets.<\/p>\n<p>IRIDE is described by participant company Telespazio, a Leonardo and Thales company, as a \u201cconstellation of constellations.\u201d There are more than 73 Italian companies participating in its construction and operation.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Embedded post\" src=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/embed\/feed\/update\/urn:li:ugcPost:7455598040146534400?compact=1\" width=\"504\" height=\"399\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Another series of Earth observation satellites hitching a ride on this Falcon 9 rocket come from Loft Orbital and EarthDaily Analytics. It\u2019s flying six satellites, which will be part of a constellation of more than 20 satellites in total, designed to deliver \u201chigh-frequency, calibrated, analysis-ready data designed for AI-driven insight and real-world decision making across governments and commercial industries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis next launch represents a step-change in both scale and execution for Loft,\u201d said Pierre-Damien Vaujour, CEO and Co-founder of Loft in a statement. \u201cWe\u2019re moving from deploying individual missions to delivering full constellations, a culmination of the strategic investments we\u2019ve made over the years in production scale, platform reliability, flight heritage, and persistent mission operations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 675px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2046980226706788684&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2026%2F05%2F02%2Flive-coverage-spacex-to-launch-south-korean-earth-observation-satellite-44-more-payloads-on-overnight-falcon-9-rideshare-mission%2F&amp;sessionId=57ae69b1bb86d06c849d96c02984305182d5fd27&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"2046980226706788684\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Another one of the payloads onboard was True Anomaly\u2019s Jackal spacecraft, the fourth flight of what it described as an \u201cautonomous orbital vehicle\u201d that can serve in multiple orbits. True Anomaly was one of 14 companies chosen to participate in the U.S. Space Force\u2019s Andromeda IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery\/Indefinite Quantity) contract that will build a $1.8 billion Geosynchronous Reconnaissance Constellation (RG-XX).<\/p>\n<p>The first two Jackal satellites launched onboard SpaceX\u2019s Transporter-10 mission in March 2024 and the third launched onboard the Bandwagon-2 rideshare in December 2024. This upcoming Jackal satellite won\u2019t be a part of that future work in GEO.<\/p>\n<p>Other payloads include Planet Labs\u2019 Pelican Earth-observing satellites; two of Lynk Global Lynk Tower satellites, designed for direct-to-device connectivity; and the GalaxEye Mission Drishti, billed as India\u2019s \u201clargest privately built Earth observation satellite\u201d, and features a combination of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging and multi-spectral imaging sensors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A streak shot of SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket during the CAS500-2 mission, which launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on May 3, 2026. Image: SpaceX Update May 3, 6:17 a.m. EDT (1017 UTC): SpaceX confirmed deployment of all payloads. SpaceX launched 45 payloads on an overnight rideshare mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[759,479,685,683,316],"class_list":["post-9566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-cas500-2","tag-falcon-9","tag-landing-zone-4","tag-sld-30","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9566"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9566\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}