SpaceX is set to launch its Transporter-18 rideshare mission today, October 1, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Falcon 9 rocket will carry 130 payloads, including a prototype satellite for Google’s Project Suncatcher, which aims to test AI technology in low Earth orbit.
Launch Details:
- Time: 2:18 p.m. EDT (11:18 a.m. PDT)
- Live Stream: Watch it live on SpaceX’s website, with coverage starting 15 minutes prior to launch.
Key Payloads:
- Google AI Satellite: This pathfinder for Project Suncatcher will assess how Google’s tensor processing units (TPUs) perform in space.
- Cowboy Space’s Reason-1: A satellite focusing on power beaming technology for energy transfer from orbit to Earth.
- Starfish Space’s Otter: The first satellite for servicing operations aimed at maintaining and repairing satellites in orbit.
While this mission won’t break the record for the most payloads launched at once (currently held by Transporter-1 with 143 payloads), it is still significant. The first stage of Falcon 9 is expected to land back at Vandenberg about 7.5 minutes post-liftoff, while the payload deployment will occur about 54.5 minutes after launch.
Today is particularly busy for SpaceX, with additional missions including the Crew-13 astronaut launch for NASA and the NROL-97 flight later in the day.
For more details, you can follow the mission here.
