SEOPS today announced its new Waymaker rideshare option to LEO.
The first Waymaker mission will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 mission in 2028. The rideshare is designed to launch time-sensitive or non-standard payloads that can’t be accommodated on existing rideshare options. On top of that, SEOPS officials are hoping that Waymaker will help address shortages in global launch capacity.
More details: SEOPS shared some more details of its Waymaker rides, including:
- A custom payload adapter that allows for more flexibility in what payloads or interfaces can hitch a ride;
- The ability to fly larger or uniquely shaped payloads, which can’t fly with other providers;
- Two months of services from Digantara to help riders locate their spacecraft and avoid collisions after separation.
Go boldly: Waymaker will join SEOPS’s Darkstar rideshares to geostationary transfer orbit, which will offer customers access between GEO and the Moon. The Darkstar program, announced in 2024, is also expected to launch its first mission in 2028 aboard a Falcon 9.
“Waymaker missions act as a relief valve for the growing LEO rideshare market,” SEOPS CEO Chad Brinkley said in a statement. “Waymaker and Darkstar rideshare missions give customers more opportunities and certainty that their spacecraft can launch when they want, and SEOPS is focused on ensuring their mission success.”
Zoom out: Limited launch capacity coupled with surging demand is a problem across the industry—and today’s rideshare services can book up months or years in advance. SEOPS officials hope their new flights will both ease the launch bottleneck, and offer a solution—including firm integration deadlines and launch windows—for those who can’t access another ride to space.
“SEOPS has been building toward a future where launch access is managed as a scalable program—an operating layer, not just as a transaction,” SEOPS EVP Evan Hoyt said in a statement. “Programs such as Waymaker and Darkstar are designed to deliver rideshare capacity in the face of rapidly increasing demand.”
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