Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States - August 16, 2024

Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA - SpaceX successfully launched its Transporter-11 mission on August 16, placing more than 100 satellites into orbit for a diverse array of commercial and government customers. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 2:56 p.m. Eastern Time, marking another milestone in SpaceX's dedicated rideshare program.

The mission, which saw the Falcon 9 booster make its 12th successful landing back at the launch site, carried 116 payloads coordinated by aggregators such as Exolaunch, ISISpace, Maverick Space Systems, and SEOPS. These payloads included a variety of satellites for imaging, radar observation, communications, and technology demonstration purposes.

Planet, a prominent customer on this mission, contributed 36 Dove imaging cubesats alongside Tanager-1, its first hyperspectral imaging satellite. Other notable payloads included radar imaging satellites from Capella Space, Iceye, iQPS, and Umbra, as well as imaging satellites from Satellogic and Spire, which added seven Lemur satellites.

Several first-time operational satellites were launched, including those from Sateliot for IoT services and Tomorrow.io for weather forecasting. The mission also featured government payloads, including Tyche, a high-resolution imaging satellite launched by the United Kingdom Space Command, and technology demonstration cubesats from NASA and the European Space Agency.

SpaceX continues to expand its rideshare program with plans for regular Transporter and Bandwagon missions throughout the year. The success of Transporter-11 brings the total number of satellites deployed through SpaceX's rideshare program to over 1,000, underscoring its role in enabling access to space for small satellite developers worldwide.