BERLIN — Falcon 9 launched 140 payloads on Nov. 28 on its latest dedicated rideshare mission, ranging from a European government spacecraft to a private astronomy satellite.
Falcon 9 took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 1:44 p.m. Eastern. The Transporter-15 mission began deploying its payloads approximately 55 minutes after liftoff, with the final spacecraft being released approximately 2 hours 45 minutes after liftoff.
The launch was originally scheduled for earlier this month, but was postponed due to temporary restrictions imposed on the timing of commercial launches by the Federal Aviation Administration during the government shutdown. Additional issues delayed the mission after those restrictions were lifted, including a scrub during the November 26 launch attempt.
The 140 payloads at launch, 13 of which were to be deployed later by orbital transfer vehicles, represent the second-most ever carried on a SpaceX rideshare mission. Only the inaugural Transporter-1 mission in January 2021, with 143 payloads, carried more, underscoring the continued high demand for SpaceX’s rideshare services.
The mission included a mix of new and repeat customers. Planet was the largest single satellite operator in flight, with 36 Dove CubeSats and two Pelican high-resolution imaging satellites. Spire said it has 11 satellites, including spacecraft for its own weather and ship-tracking constellation and GHGSat and other satellites built for Lacuna Space.
Finnish company IceEye, which builds and operates synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellites, flew five spacecraft, including satellites for Azalea, a system being developed by the Greek and Polish governments as well as BAE Systems. The constellation included one of ISAI’s first Gen4 satellites, capable of producing SAR imagery at 16-centimeter resolution.
Other returning customers include D-Orbit, which flew two of its ION orbital transfer vehicles; Impulse Space, which launched its third Mira Transfer Vehicle; and Varda Space Industries, which flew its W-5 reentry vehicle.
Transporter-15 also carried several European government payloads. In addition to the ISI satellites from Greece and Poland, the mission included eight satellites from IRIDE, an Italian imaging group. Also aboard were twin HydroGNSS satellites for the European Space Agency, the first mission under ESA’s Scout program of low-cost Earth observation satellites. HydroGNSS will study the water cycle using reflected navigation satellite signals.
The launch came a day after ESA member states approved a major increase in the agency’s budget, including funding for space transportation programs aimed at strengthening Europe’s autonomous access to space by supporting emerging launch vehicle developers.
There were also several unique payloads on board. One was Mauve, a commercial astronomy satellite developed by Blue Skies Space. The spacecraft carries a small ultraviolet telescope that astronomers will use to study stellar brightnesses and the young stars that host exoplanets.
Blue Skies sells space subscriptions that allow researchers to observe time on the Mauve. The company said universities and research institutes in Europe, Japan and North America have purchased access.
There were also three CTC-1 satellites built by Space Telecommunications Inc. to test SpaceCoin, a communications protocol that uses blockchain technologies. The company plans to use the satellites to test communication protocols between satellites and the ground as well as between satellites.
The company claims the satellites are the precursor to a “decentralized satellite internet infrastructure” using a constellation, but has released few details about its schedule or cost.
