SpaceX is preparing to launch 131 payloads Tuesday onboard the company’s 12th smallsat rideshare mission to date.
The Transporter-12 mission will fly onboard a Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base during a 27-minute window that opens at 10:49 a.m. PST (1:49 p.m. EST, 1849 UTC).
The Falcon 9 booster being used on Tuesday’s flight, tail number B1088 in the SpaceX fleet, will launch for a second time. It previously launched the NROL-126 mission, which was a combination of 20 Starlink V2 Mini satellites and an undisclosed number of Starshield satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office.
About 7.5 minutes after liftoff, B1088 will target a touchdown at Landing Zone 4, located near the launch pad. A successful landing will mark the 23rd booster landing at LZ-4 and the 397th booster landing to date.
Among the dozens of payloads flying are a myriad of customers from around the world, from research institutes and aerospace companies to other governments’ space agencies, like the United Arab Emirates’ Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Centre.
The MBRSC’s MBZ-SAT, an Earth-observation satellite, is named after the country’s president, H.H. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The agency said the satellite is designed to process and transmit images within two hours to “provide insights for applications such as environmental monitoring, disaster relief, and infrastructure management, enabling decision-makers to act swiftly and effectively.”
Other Earth-observing satellites include Planet Labs PBC’s high-resolution Pelican-2 satellite along with 36 of its SuperDoves.
“This Pelican satellite is designed to provide up to 40 cm class resolution imagery across 6 multispectral bands optimized for cross-sensor analysis,” Planet wrote in a pre-launch statement. “Additionally, Planet has collaborated with NVIDIA to equip Pelican-2 with the NVIDIA Jetson platform to power on-orbit computing—with the aim of vastly reducing the time between data capture and value for customers.”
Also hitching a ride to space are Spire Global’s two Low Earth Multi-Use Receiver (LEMUR) 3 satellites along with four other satellites. The LEMUR 3 CubeSats are designed to help improve weather forecasting, maritime monitoring and augment Internet-of-Things connectivity, according to the company.
“Two LEMUR 3 satellites, developed in collaboration with Myriota, will expand global IoT coverage with cutting-edge direct-to-orbit communications, enabling Myriota’s IoT solutions to operate seamlessly and more effectively,” Spire said in a pre-launch statement. “This network will enhance connectivity for critical sectors such as agriculture, defense, and logistics across regions like the US, Europe, and Latin America, promoting sustainability and efficient resource management.”
Spire’s satellites are among the 35 satellites being flown by satellite deployment and hosting company, Exolaunch.
“Transporter-11 was a landmark mission for us, and as we look ahead to Transporter-12, we’re excited to keep the momentum going,” said Robert Sproles, Exolaunch CEO, in a pre-launch statement. “We deeply appreciate the trust our customers place in us and extend our thanks to SpaceX for their outstanding support.
“Our long-standing partnership with SpaceX has been a cornerstone of Exolaunch’s growth, and it’s an honor to be part of every Transporter mission.”
Satellite deployment is set to begin about 54 minutes after liftoff with the deployment of the GESat and GEN1 satellites by Exolaunch and conclude more than two hours and 22 minutes after liftoff with the deployment of Firefly-2 by Pixxel, also via Exolaunch.
The countdown is on!
We’re excited to launch & deploy multiple satellites on the upcoming @SpaceX Transporter-12 mission – including this one pictured, “TROLL,” for our customer @TRLspace. 🇨🇿 pic.twitter.com/fwC5jEnotB
— Exolaunch (@Exolaunch) January 6, 2025
