SNN

SpaceX to Kick off 2023 Launch Campaign with Transporter Rideshare Mission on Tuesday

Falcon 9 Transporter mission liftoff (Credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX will kick off its 2023 campaign on Tuesday by launching 114 satellites on its Transporter-6 rideshare mission. The Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to liftoff at 9:56  a.m. EST (14:56 UTC) from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Transporter 6 — Top Payloads

Company/Agency Payloads Purpose Number
Planet Labs SuperDove Earth observation 36
Swarm Technologies SpaceBEE Communications 12
Skykraft Skykraft Air traffic management 6*
Spire Global Lemur-2 Meteorology, ship & aircraft tracking 6
DARPA+ Blackjack Reconnaissance 4
Astrocast Astrocast Internet of Things 4
Sen EarthTV Earth observation – UHD streaming 4
Kleos Space KSF3 Navigation 4
ICEYE ICEYE Earth observation 3
Albania government/Satellogic Albania-1, -2 Earth observation 2
D-Orbit ION SCV-007, -008 CubeSat deployer 2
Lynk Global Lynk Tower 3, 4 Communications 2
Royal NLR++/TNO^/FFI** MilSpace-2 1, -2 2 Tech demo 2
Satellogic ÑuSat 34, 35 Earth observation 2
Umbra Lab Umbra-05, -06 Earth observation 2
Total 90
+Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
*5 satellites and Skykraft satellite deployer
++Royal Netherlands Space Centre
^Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research
**Norwegian Defence Research Establishment

SpaceX has launched 436 payloads on five previous Transporter missions. Like on the upcoming launch, all satellites have been placed in sun-synchronous orbits. (See Who Launched What on SpaceX’s Five Transporter Missions.)

Scheduled Orbital Launches
Jan. 2-9, 2022

Date Launcher – Organization Payload – Organization Purpose(s) Launch Site
Jan. 3 Falcon 9 – SpaceX 114 satellites – multiple Multiple Cape Canaveral
Jan. 8 Falcon 9 – SpaceX 40 OneWeb – OneWeb Broadband Kennedy
Jan. 9 Long March 7A – CASC Shijian 23 – CAST Tech demo Wenchang
Jan. 9-13 RS1 – ABL Space VariSat-1A, 1B – VariSat Communications PSC – Alaska

On Jan. 8, a Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch 40 OneWeb broadband satellites from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It’s the second of three launches OneWeb booked with SpaceX after the company’s contract to launch on Soyuz rockets in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February.

ABL Space will attempt to launch its RS1 rocket on its maiden flight from the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska after multiple unsuccessful attempts last year. The launch window is open from Jan. 9-13.

A Chinese Long March 7A is scheduled to launch the Shijian 23 technology demonstration satellite aboard a Long March 7A on Jan. 9.

Exit mobile version