{"id":9933,"date":"2025-01-14T21:35:45","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T13:35:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-launches-131-spacecraft-on-transporter-12-falcon-9-rideshare-mission-from-california\/"},"modified":"2025-01-14T21:35:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T13:35:45","slug":"spacex-launches-131-spacecraft-on-transporter-12-falcon-9-rideshare-mission-from-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-launches-131-spacecraft-on-transporter-12-falcon-9-rideshare-mission-from-california\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX launches 131 spacecraft on Transporter-12 Falcon 9 rideshare mission from California"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Falcon 9 rocket roars away from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Jan. 14, 2025, on the Transporter 12 mission. Image: Space X.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

SpaceX launched 131 payloads Tuesday onboard the company\u2019s 12th smallsat rideshare mission to date.<\/p>\n

The Transporter-12 mission flew onboard a Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:09 a.m. PST (2:09 p.m. EST, 1909 UTC).<\/p>\n

The Falcon 9 booster used on Tuesday\u2019s flight, tail number B1088 in the SpaceX fleet, was launching for a second time. It previously launched the NROL-126 mission, which was a combination of 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites and an undisclosed number of Starshield satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office.<\/p>\n

About 7.5 minutes after liftoff, B1088 touched down at Landing Zone 4, located near the launch pad. It marked the 23rd booster landing at LZ-4 and the 397th booster landing to date.<\/p>\n

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Exolaunch technicians integrate a payload for Germany-based research university, Technische Universit\u00e4t Berlin (TU Berlin). They are one of dozens of customers flying onboard SpaceX\u2019s Transporter-12 smallsat rideshare mission. Image: Exolaunch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The dozens of payloads flying were from a myriad of customers from around the world, from research institutes and aerospace companies to other governments\u2019 space agencies, like the United Arab Emirates\u2019 Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre.<\/p>\n

The MBRSC\u2019s MBZ-SAT, an Earth-observation satellite, is named after the country\u2019s president, H.H. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The agency said the satellite is designed to process and transmit images within two hours to \u201cprovide insights for applications such as environmental monitoring, disaster relief, and infrastructure management, enabling decision-makers to act swiftly and effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other Earth-observing satellites include Planet Labs PBC\u2019s high-resolution Pelican-2 satellite along with 36 of its SuperDoves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Pelican satellite is designed to provide up to 40 cm class resolution imagery across 6 multispectral bands optimized for cross-sensor analysis,\u201d Planet wrote in a pre-launch statement. \u201cAdditionally, Planet has collaborated with NVIDIA to equip Pelican-2 with the NVIDIA Jetson platform to power on-orbit computing\u2014with the aim of vastly reducing the time between data capture and value for customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A rendering of the Pelican-2 satellite. Graphic: Planet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also hitching a ride to space are Spire Global\u2019s two Low Earth Multi-Use Receiver (LEMUR) 3 satellites along with four other satellites. The LEMUR 3 CubeSats are designed to help improve weather forecasting, maritime monitoring and augment Internet-of-Things connectivity, according to the company.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo LEMUR 3 satellites, developed in collaboration with Myriota, will expand global IoT coverage with cutting-edge direct-to-orbit communications, enabling Myriota\u2019s IoT solutions to operate seamlessly and more effectively,\u201d Spire said in a pre-launch statement. \u201cThis network will enhance connectivity for critical sectors such as agriculture, defense, and logistics across regions like the US, Europe, and Latin America, promoting sustainability and efficient resource management.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spire\u2019s satellites are among the 35 satellites being flown by satellite deployment and hosting company, Exolaunch.<\/p>\n

\u201cTransporter-11 was a landmark mission for us, and as we look ahead to Transporter-12, we\u2019re excited to keep the momentum going,\u201d said Robert Sproles, Exolaunch CEO, in a pre-launch statement. \u201cWe deeply appreciate the trust our customers place in us and extend our thanks to SpaceX for their outstanding support.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur long-standing partnership with SpaceX has been a cornerstone of Exolaunch\u2019s growth, and it\u2019s an honor to be part of every Transporter mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Satellite deployment began about 54 minutes after liftoff with the deployment of the GESat and GEN1 satellites by Exolaunch and concluded more than two hours and 22 minutes after liftoff with the deployment of Firefly-2 by Pixxel, also via Exolaunch.<\/p>\n