Exolaunch – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX smashes record with launch of 143 small satellites

January 24, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket Sunday from Cape Canaveral with 143 small satellites, a record number of spacecraft on a single mission, giving a boost to startup space companies and stressing the U.S. military’s tracking network charged with sorting out the locations of all objects in orbit.

Falcon 9 launch timeline on the Transporter-1 mission

January 23, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Sunday, heading due south over the Atlantic Ocean on a trajectory hugging the east coast of Florida to deliver 143 small satellites into polar orbit.

Live coverage: SpaceX launches rideshare mission on Falcon 9 rocket

January 23, 2021 Stephen Clark

SpaceX launched the first in a series of small satellite rideshare missions Sunday from Cape Canaveral, providing transportation for 143 U.S. and international spacecraft to low Earth orbit, a record number of satellites on a single flight. Liftoff occurred at 10 a.m. EST (1500 GMT) Sunday after bad weather forced SpaceX to scrub a launch attempt Saturday morning.

Soyuz launches with 22 satellites

September 29, 2020 Stephen Clark

A Russian Soyuz rocket launched Monday from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome with 22 satellites for operators in Russia, Europe, Canada, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates.

Soyuz rocket and Fregat upper stage deliver 33 satellites to three different orbits

July 5, 2019 Stephen Clark

A new Russian weather satellite, a CubeSat to test a Silicon Valley startup’s water-based propulsion system, and eight more members of Spire’s commercial fleet of multipurpose nanosatellites were among 33 spacecraft that rode a Soyuz rocket into orbit Friday from Russia’s Far East.

Live coverage: Soyuz rideshare mission lifts off from Vostochny Cosmodrome

July 4, 2019 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off at 0541 GMT (1:41 a.m. EDT) Thursday from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East, carrying a new Russian weather satellite and 32 secondary payloads into polar orbit.

Russian Soyuz launcher set to carry 33 satellites into orbit

July 4, 2019 Stephen Clark

A Soyuz rocket is scheduled for liftoff Friday from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia’s newest launch site, with 33 satellites from 12 countries on-board to collect weather data and test new space technology.