After a weekend-long weather delay, SpaceX is expected to launch its fourth rideshare mission of the year this afternoon.
Transporter-14 will carry 70 payloads to orbit, deploying everything from small cubesats to a 2,000+ lb reentry vehicle packed to the brim with cargo. Here’s a preview of some of the highlights on the manifest:
Baywatch: Many of the sats getting ready to fly will keep an eye on the seas. These sats headed for the ultimate crow’s nest include:
- Alén Space’s SATMAR sat, which will demonstrate a new method for maritime communications.
- KuvaSpace’s Hyperfield-1b, which is expected to provide hyperspectral images to help customers better understand agricultural trends, as well as to track and identify illegal fishing vessels.
- Unseenlabs’ BRO-18 sat, which will bolster the company’s existing constellation to help better track illegal fishing.
Defending the high ground: The world’s militaries have also launched a series of sats to improve EO and communication from space.
- ARVAKER II and III satellites from Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace will complete Norway’s N3X maritime surveillance constellation.
- Bifrost, an EO sat funded by the Danish and Swedish defense ministries, will provide both governments with surveillance intel over the Arctic region.
- Dragoon—developed by York Space Systems, and the first of a dozen-sat constellation from the SDA—will demonstrate secure connectivity for the US military, as well as missile tracking capabilities.
Exo(rbitant) launch: Transporter-14 is the largest mission yet for satellite launch integrator Exolaunch, which is managing 45 of the 70 payloads onboard. Exolaunch’s client satellites include satellite operators from around the world, including:
- The first satellite from UK-based startup Space Forge, which hopes to demonstrate the company’s ability to manufacture goods in space.
- The software-defined Möbius-1 satellite from Canada-based Galaxia Mission Systems, which plans to demonstrate AI capabilities on orbit.
- DUTHSat-2, a Greek wildfire monitoring cubesat made in collaboration with ESA.
- The IOD-2 satellite from Spain-based startup Startical, which expects to improve aircraft monitoring capabilities in dead zones between ground-based air traffic control towers.
Full cargo: The Exploration Company is launching a cargo version of its Nyx crew-rated spacecraft, carrying 300 kg (660 lb) of cargo for pharma and consumer products customers.
Update: This story was updated to reflect that Dragoon was developed by York Space Systems.
