SpaceX launches first dedicated SmallSat Rideshare Program mission Transporter-1
US aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) successfully launched on Sunday its first dedicated SmallSat Rideshare Program mission, Transporter-1.
The liftoff took place from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The Transporter-1 mission launch was supported by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 – world’s first orbital class reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured for the reliable and safe transport of people as well as payloads into Earth orbit and beyond. Reusability enables reflying of the rocket’s most expensive parts, in turn driving down the cost of space access.
Previously, the first stage booster of Falcon 9 supported the launches of Crew Dragon’s second demonstration mission, the ANASIS-II mission, and a Starlink mission. It also supported the launch of Dragon’s 21st cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station.
The Transporter-1 mission launch is the third by SpaceX this year.
After stage separation, SpaceX landed Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX tweeted:
Aboard the Transporter-1 mission, there are 133 commercial as well as government spacecraft, including microsats, CubeSats and orbital transfer vehicles. The Transporter-1 also had 10 Starlink satellites, which all have been deployed.
SpaceX tweeted one hour and 10 minutes later:
This is the first time this many spacecraft have been deployed on a single mission. Moreover, the Starlink satellites on board the mission were the first in the constellation to have been deployed to a polar orbit.
The SmallSat RideShare Program will launch dedicated space ride share missions for as low as $1 million, starting in May this year. The price is for 200kg to Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO). You can add additional mass at the rate of $5,000 per kg. The company says affordable rates will also be available to Mid-Inclination low Earth and geosynchronous/geostationary transfer orbits as well as for trans-lunar injections (TLI). A TLI is a propulsive maneuver used to set a spacecraft on a trajectory that will cause it to arrive at the Moon.
Watch the Transporter-1 mission launch video:
Featured Image: Official SpaceX Photos - Iridium-4 Mission | CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
