January 25, 2021
SpaceX set a new world record for the number of spacecraft launched by a single rocket, after deploying 143 satellites on a Jan. 24 launch from Kennedy Space Center.
The mission, dubbed Transporter-1, was the first in a series of “rideshare” launches offered by Elon Musk’s space company. Here’s what it looks like when 143 spacecraft are tucked into the Falcon 9 rocket’s nosecone:
The launch represents a convergence of space industry trends. SpaceX’s reusable rocket boosters give it spare capacity to fly additional trips into space—this booster had flown four times previously, launching everything from a Korean military satellites to International Space Station supplies. And packing as many small satellites as possible into a single rocket is a key way to drive down the cost of putting them in orbit, in turn enabling more ambitious business plans in orbit.