SpaceX launches 30 satellites in second mid-inclination rideshare mission

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 30 satellites were launched on Saturday for the second dedicated ridesharing mission to medium inclination orbit.

Falcon 9 took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 3:34 a.m. local time on the Bandwagon-2 mission. Space News. The first stage of the Falcon 9 touched down back at the launch site eight minutes and 15 seconds after liftoff, just as the burn of the second stage was completed.

The largest of the 30 payloads in the Bandwagon-2 mission is reportedly the third “Project 425” reconnaissance satellite for the South Korean military. The first satellite of its kind was launched a year ago aboard the Falcon 9, while the second was on the Bandwagon-1 mission in April.

ELON MUSK’S SPACEX LAUNCHES ITS FIFTH MISSION SUPPORTING US GOVERNMENT EXPLORATION SATELLITE ARCHITECTURE

SpaceX has launched 30 satellites for its second dedicated ridesharing mission to medium-inclination orbit. (SpaceX / FOXBusiness)

Other customers at launch included HawkEye 360, which uses three satellites called Cluster 11 for radio frequency intelligence. The company said the satellites have advanced payloads to acquire data. data and transmitters to transmit to ground stations.

Another customer is the Finnish company Iceye, which has launched two synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites on Bandwagon-2 that can prove radar images at 25 centimeter resolution.

A Falcon 9 took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California for the Bandwagon-2 mission at 3:34 a.m. local time. (SpaceX / FOXBusiness)

With other companies Spacecraft in Bandwagon-2 Includes Sidus Space, Tomorrow.io, True Anomaly, and Think Orbital.

SpaceX announced its Bandwagon series of ridesharing missions last year to complement the Transporter series of dedicated ridesharing missions to sun-synchronous orbits.

ELON MUSK DEEPENS SPACEX’S TIES WITH US INTELLIGENCE AND MILITARY AGENCIES

The first stage of the Falcon 9 touched down back at the launch site eight minutes and 15 seconds after liftoff. (SpaceX / FOXBusiness)

TAKE FOX BUSINESS IN ACTION BY CLICKING HERE

The company said it offers medium inclination missions because those are the most frequently requested orbits following solar synchronization. The company said it will conduct two Bandwagon missions this year and two more next year.