SpaceX made history this Sunday with its Transporter-1 rideshare mission, launching a record 143 small satellites into orbit aboard a single Falcon 9 rocket. The first-stage booster then executed a flawless landing at sea.
SpaceX started 2021 on a high note. After deploying an initial batch of Starlink satellites from Florida on January 21—marking the eighth reuse of one of its boosters—the company achieved a milestone with Transporter-1, delivering the largest number of payloads ever from one rocket: 143 satellites.
In 2019, SpaceX announced rideshare flights on Falcon 9 rockets at set intervals for just one million dollars per launch, making space accessible for smaller companies. These missions can be booked via SpaceX's dedicated website.
The Falcon 9 lifted off Sunday at 5 p.m. French time from Cape Canaveral. This marked the fifth flight for booster B1058, which debuted in May 2020 carrying NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the ISS.
After a picture-perfect ascent, the first stage touched down on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You, achieving SpaceX's 73rd successful booster recovery since 2015.
Deploying 143 satellites demanded precise timing to prevent collisions. The first 48, from Earth observation leader Planet, were released about 59 minutes post-liftoff.
Among the payloads: 10 Starlink satellites placed into polar orbit for the first time, enabling internet service over Earth's poles—including Alaska. These deployed 1 hour and 31 minutes after launch.
SpaceX's next flight is a Starlink mission, potentially as soon as next week. Two more rideshare missions are slated for 2021: one in June and another in December.
