SpaceX rocket launches 140 satellites into orbit on Transporter-15, aces landing at sea (video)

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.

SpaceX's workhorse rocket soared into space from the California coast after more than a week of delays, carrying more than 100 spacecraft to orbit before making a landing at sea.

The veteran Falcon 9 rocket launched SpaceX's Transporter-15 rideshare mission Friday (Nov. 28) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Liftoff occurred at about 1:45 p.m. EST (1845 GMT) from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex-4E, about a half hour into a 57-minute window. The mission had been delayed since Nov. 19, with SpaceX calling off a launch attempt on Wednesday, just 15 minutes before liftoff.

Transporter-15 should take just over 2.5 hours to deploy all of its 140 satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit, where each will begin its own, individualized mission. The first-stage booster's flight, meanwhile, took just over 8 minutes,

If you're looking for a SpaceX rocket model that's off the beaten path, this Starship 3D wooden puzzle is just the thing and you can save 20% right now for Black Friday.View Deal

The mission continues SpaceX's increasing frequency of rideshare launches, and follows on the heels of the late-summer liftoff of the Transporter-14 flight, which delivered dozens of cubesats, tech demos and research craft into low Earth orbit (LEO).

Not all of Transporter-15's payloads were confirmed or identified before launch. But among those that were we found notable contributions from organizations like the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA), as well as companies and organizations like Planet Labs, SEOPS, Leaf Space and various universities and educational institutions.

ESA's HydroGNSS-1 and HydroGNSS-2 satellites are flying as part of the agency's first Scout mission. They will study Earth's water cycle using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reflectometry measurement technique to quite literally "scout for water," according to ESA.

Taiwan launched its FORMOSAT-8A Earth-imaging satellite, as well as three domestically built cubesats: Bellbird-1, Black Kite-1 and TORO-8U-1, from Tron Future Tech, Rapidtek Technologies Inc. and Pyras Technology Inc., respectively. They are designed to test high-speed data transferal communications, Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and conduct remote sensing to monitor algae, plankton and ocean health.

The Pelican imaging satellites 5 and 6, as well as 36 SuperDoves in the "Flock 4H" group, all built by the California-based firm Planet Labs, are also riding on the Transporter-15 mission. Planet Labs' expanding Earth-observation Pelican network is designed to "efficiently capture fleeting and emerging events, especially those that may anticipate new patterns or risks," the company's website says. The accompanying SuperDoves will join Planet Labs' PlanetScope monitoring mission.

SEOPS is using the Transporter-15 flight to demonstrate its custom payload integration capabilities with the deployment of a wide range of student-built, scientific and commercial spacecraft. Those vehicles include four payloads managed by Alba Orbital. Also flying is Hungary's HUNITY, a new "pocketqube" platform for even smaller cubesats, measuring as small as 2 inches (5 centimeters). Two of these pocketqubes are SARI-1 and SARI-2 from the Saudi space agency, which will perform telemetry, IoT experiments and other research. Alba is also flying the ANISCSAT mission from Azerbaijan, which will study environmental conditions in LEO.

Previous Booster 1071 missions

NROL-87 | NROL-85 | SARah-1 | SWOT | Transporter-8 | Transporter-9 | Transporter-13 | NROL-146 | Bandwagon-2 | NROL-153 | NROL-192 | 18 Starlink missions

SEOPS is managing two cubesats for CS3, called WISDOM and Mauve. WISDOM, part of ESA’s NAVISP program, will test collision avoidance and deorbiting technologies using a 6U cubesat that will separate into two individual 3U spacecraft, while Mauve, a 16U cubesat, will conduct ultraviolet astronomy using a 13-cm telescope.

SEOPS is also handling NASA’s 3UCubed-A, designed to measure precipitating electrons and ultraviolet emissions at Earth's poles, SatRev's PW-6U Earth-imaging satellite for customers in the agricultural and energy industries, and TRYAD-1 and 2, lightning observation satellites built by students at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Auburn University, and funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

A large portion of the satellites on Transporter-15 will be supported by Leaf Space. In a demonstration of its growing ground infrastructure, the Italian company will add 31 of Transporter-15's payloads to its Leaf Line ground station network — roughly 30% of the launch's total spacecraft. Those 31 will join 140 spacecraft that utilize the network, operated by various commercial customers who rely on Leaf Space for tracking and telemetry data.

You can see a full list of the 140 satellites on Transporter-15 on SpaceX's mission website.

Due to the large number of payloads and the diversity of their missions, the Falcon 9's second stage will feature a longer-than-usual deployment process, beginning about 55 minutes after launch and lasting about 2 hours and 43 minutes.

SpaceX's Transporter-15 mission is the 30th flight for the first-stage booster (called B1071), which has previously launched 18 Starlink missions, four rideshare missions, five national security missions and two missions carrying Earth-observation satellites.

The mission also appeared to be a reflight of the payload fairing, the clamshell-like nose cone protecting the satellite payload. The fairing appeared weathered from past flights much like the first-stage booster. SpaceX said the company planned to retrieve the fairing halves from the sea to recover and reuse them.

"Those fairings will make their way back to Earth for recovery," a SpaceX spokesperson said during live launch commentary.

Editor's note: This story was updated on Nov. 28 to include new photos and confirmation of SpaceX's successful Transporter-15 launch.