On November 20, SpaceX’s dependable Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from California, kicking off the Transporter-15 mission with over 100 satellites headed to orbit. After lingering delays, the launch finally occurred at around 1:45 p.m. EST from Vandenberg Space Force Base, proving that patience pays off in the tumultuous world of space launches.
The rocket journeyed for more than eight minutes before making a triumphant landing at sea, while the full deployment of the 140 payloads was set to take just over 2.5 hours in a sun-synchronous orbit. Originally, this mission faced a delay with launch attempts being canceled just minutes prior.
Transporter-15 is part of SpaceX’s increasing focus on rideshare missions, following the earlier Transporter-14 launch, which inserted numerous cubesats and tech projects into low Earth orbit.
While not every payload was specified pre-launch, some prominent entries include contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA). Planet Labs, SEOPS, and various universities also made their mark on this mission.
ESA’s HydroGNSS-1 and HydroGNSS-2 satellites are among the noteworthy payloads aiming to study the water cycle of Earth via innovative GNSS reflectometry methods, a part of the agency’s first Scout mission.
From Taiwan comes the FORMOSAT-8A Earth imaging satellite, alongside three cubesats developed by local companies aimed at innovating high-speed communications and monitoring ecological elements like algae and ocean health.
The mission also features satellites from Planet Labs, including the new Pelican imaging satellites and another 36 SuperDoves, all dedicated to heightened Earth observation and risk assessment insights.
SEOPS played a critical role by demonstrating custom applications for integrations with multiple payloads, including various student-developed satellites. They’re even sending up mini satellites, known as “pocketqubes,” with tailored technologies focused on scientific experiments.
Highlighted achievements in this mission include a range of collaborative projects like the WISDOM and Mauve cubesats developed by students for NASA and local research initiatives under NASA’s guidance.
A solid portion of Transporter-15 payloads is facilitated by Leaf Space, extending their network to encompass around 31 out of the total 140 satellites, crucial for reliable tracking and telemetry resources.
If you want the full list of all the satellites launched during this mission, check out SpaceX’s mission details on their website.
Given the vast amounts of diverse payloads, the second stage of Falcon 9 had a longer-than-usual deployment timeline extending beyond two hours post-launch.
This particular Transporter-15 mission was significant as it marked the 30th flight for the first-stage booster (B1071), which has had a storied career including previous Starlink efforts and national security objectives.
Notably, the fairing shielding the satellite payload appeared to be reused, which SpaceX is committed to recovering for future missions.
In a nutshell, this article was updated on November 28 to include the launch success details and fresh images from SpaceX.
