spacetoday.net: SpaceX launches record number of satellites on Falcon 9 mission

SpaceX launches record number of satellites on Falcon 9 mission

Posted: Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 9:35 AM ET (1435 GMT)
Falcon 9 launch of Transporter-1 (SpaceX)

SpaceX set a record Sunday by launching 143 small satellites on a single Falcon 9. The rocket launched from Cape Canaveral at 10 am EST (1500 GMT), deploying its payloads over a half-hour period starting an hour after liftoff. The Transporter-1 mission was SpaceX's first dedicated smallsat rideshare mission, and its payload included 48 Planet cubesats and 36 Swarm smallsats, along with dozens of other smallsats from companies and government agencies. SpaceX also flew 10 of its Starlink satellites on the mission, the first to go into a polar orbit. The flight set a record for the most satellites deployed on a single launch.