SpaceX takes 105 satellites to “hitchhiking” orbit in 3rd shared launch

SpaceX performed another launch, taking 105 satellites from different companies “hitchhiking” into space via the Transporter-3 mission. The mission was launched at the beginning of the afternoon of this Thursday (13) and represented the second launch carried out in 2022, being also the third shared dedicated already carried out by the company.

The Falcon 9 rocket left Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida at 12:25 a.m. ET. About nine minutes later, the rocket’s first stage returned, landing on a platform a few miles from where it took off. “This marks our 102nd overall recovery,” Kate Tice, SpaceX’s reliability engineering manager, said during the mission broadcast.

Lift-off! pic.twitter.com/CwfVc9Zyjg

– SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 13, 2022

The Falcon 9 rocket put different satellites into orbit – some were smaller than soda cans and others the size of a washing machine. The largest “passenger” of the group was the Sich 2-1 satellite, which will produce images of the Earth for the Ukrainian government. Next to it were two satellites from ICEYE from Finland and Capella Space from the United States.

The companies are working on a mini-constellation in low Earth orbit, made up of satellites that will monitor and map oceans and frozen mantles through radar imagery. Umbra has already sent the second satellite in its constellation, which will be able to provide high-resolution commercial radar images.

The mission also included 44 Planet company SuperDove satellites, which join the 240 others already launched for Earth observation. Other payloads included eight Tevel cubesats, produced by Israeli students for amateur radio services in low Earth orbit.

Falcon 9 first stage landed on Landing Zone 1 pic.twitter.com/XUQWHtB7kJ

– SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 13, 2022

Spire Global has deployed five small satellites, which now join the rest of a constellation created to collect and monitor weather and marine data. The Canadian Kepler Communications sent four cubesats, which join 15 others already in orbit. Finally, there was a trio of satellites from South Africa, launched as part of a government initiative to track and monitor maritime traffic.

It took nearly an hour and a half for all of that crew to be freed from the rocket’s upper stage, and SpaceX confirmed the end of the deployment sequence at 2 p.m. Brasilia time. This mission marked the 10th successful flight and landing of booster B1058, which made its first launch with the Demo-2 mission in 2020. Since then, the booster has been used in several launches for the expansion of the Starlink satellite megaconstellation , from SpaceX.

Below, you can check out the full mission broadcast:

Source: Via: Espace.com