Falcon-9R B1093.12 | Transporter-16 | 30.03.2026

[Orionid]

Transporter-16
Numer misji   #648   
Data   30 marca 2026, 12:20:00 czasu polskiego
30 marca 2026, 13:02:00 czasu polskiego
Okno startowe   57 minut
Miejsce startu   VSFB SLC-4E
Miejsce lądowania   OCISLY
Rakieta   Falcon 9 Block 5
Booster   1093.12
Ładunek   119 małych satelitów
Docelowa orbita   SSO (polarna, LEO)
Klient   Exolaunch, SEOPS, Maverick Space Systems, Momentus, D-Orbit, inni

Szesnasta dedykowana misja na orbitę heliosynchroniczną (SSO) prowadzonego przez SpaceX programu wynoszenia na orbitę małych satelitów, SmallSat Rideshare. Na orbitę trafi 119 mikrosatelitów oraz cubesatów. Część satelitów została zakontraktowana przez pośredników – firmy Exolaunch, SEOPS, Maverick Space Systems, Momentus i D-Orbit, część natomiast bezpośrednio przez SpaceX.

Podczas tego lotu na orbitę trafi między innymi kolejny polski satelita wojskowy MikroSAR zbudowany przez firmę ICEYE, który wyposażony jest w radar z syntetyczną aperturą (SAR).

Źródła: SpaceX, Next Spaceflight, Cezary Tomczyk
https://spacex.com.pl/misja/transporter-16

SpaceX @SpaceX 8:48 PM · Mar 29, 2026
Our 16th Transporter rideshare mission is targeted to launch tomorrow from California and will deliver 119 payloads to orbit → http://spacex.com/launches/transporter-16

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/2038327543833436324

Exolaunch @Exolaunch 9:48 PM · Mar 29, 2026
We’re stacked, sealed and ready to launch aboard #Transporter16 🚀👏
Exolaunch is proud to celebrate its 25th launch with Falcon 9, as we are set to deploy 57 satellites for more than 25 customers.
Tune in here and watch the launch live: https://tinyurl.com/mt95ce8m
📸: SpaceX

https://x.com/Exolaunch/status/2038342454831722664

Exolaunch provided end-to-end launch mission management, including launch capacity procurement with Falcon 9, coordination of all contractual and technical deliverables, logistics and customs clearance services, launch campaign operations and satellite integration with the launch vehicle at Vandenberg Space Force Base, flight-proven deployment technologies and satellite deployment into its target orbit, to a variety of new and existing customers on this mission. Exolaunch manifested the following spacecraft on the Transporter-16 mission:

VIREON-1, VIREON-2 and Io-1 for AAC Clydespace (UK)

DISCO-2 for Aarhus University (Denmark)

PHOBOS for Aethero Space (USA)

PeakSat for Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

HARBINGER for Bellatrix (India)

JACK-002 for Cosmoworks (South Korea)

COSMO for CU Boulder (USA)

ARQSAT-1for Endurosat and Arquimea Research Center SLU (Bulgaria, Spain)

Hawk-14A, Hawk-14B and Hawk-14C for HawkEye 360 (USA)

Six ICEYE satellites (Finland)

Vindlér 2.1, Vindlér 2.2 and Vindlér 2.3 for Muon Space and Sierra Nevada Corporation (USA)

ERMIS1, ERMIS2 and ERMIS3 for National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and OQ Technology Hellas (Greece)

Flylab-1 and Flylab-2 for ONERA (France)

TORO3 for Pyras (Taiwan)

8U RIoT-2 for Rapidtek (Taiwan)

Innosat Unamuno for Satlantis (Spain) and OHB Sweden

AE1a for ArkEdge Space via SpaceBD (Japan)

Hancom-3 for Spire and Hancom (USA, South Korea)

MagQuest, OISL-5, GNSS-4U-1, GNSS-4U-2, GNSS-4U-3, GNSS-4U-4, L3C-6, AIS-22 and AIS-23 for Spire (USA, Luxembourg, Germany)

T.MicroSat-2 for Tron Future Tech and Taiwan Space Agency (Taiwan)

LUNA-2 for TurkSat (Türkiye)

BRO-19 for Unseenlabs (France)

In addition, Exolaunch provided deployment and integration services for the following satellites:

FGN-100-d3 for Fergani (Türkiye)

PropSat for MuonSpace (USA)

ADIS for OHB Sweden (Sweden)

Eight IRIDE satellites for OHB Italia's IRIDE constellation (Italy)

NewSat 53 and NewSat 54 for Satellogic (Argentina)

https://www.exolaunch.com/mission_44

Advancing sovereign intelligence from space: ICEYE launches six new satellites aboard Transporter-16
Press release
https://www.iceye.com/newsroom/press-releases/advancing-sovereign-intelligence-from-space-iceye-launches-six-new-satellites-aboard-transporter-16

SatVu, the UK-based leader in high-resolution thermal Earth observation, today announced that HotSat-2 has completed launch integration and is ready for launch aboard the Transporter-16 rideshare mission with SpaceX no earlier than later this month from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.

HotSat-2, the second satellite in the SatVu constellation, uses mid-wave infrared (MWIR) sensors to deliver a unique, very high-resolution ‘activity’ information layer into the intelligence picture of national security, economic intelligence and climate resilience applications.

https://seraphim.vc/news/satvu-hotsat-2-launch-spacex-transporter-16/

Varda Space Industries @VardaSpace 2:19 PM · Mar 30, 2026
W-6 is now in orbit, and the Varda team continues the steady march toward routine, autonomous hypersonic reentry.
Funded through the @AFResearchLab, W-6 carries two types of payloads: an interior autonomous system will determine the vehicle’s position during the GPS blackout on reentry. On the exterior of the capsule, instrumented thermal protection material from @SandiaLabs, as well as “e-Char” heatshield tiles from@NASA will gather high-fidelity data under real reentry conditions.

This is the new normal: Fly early, learn through real conditions, iterate quickly, and build the infrastructure for reliable return from LEO.

https://twitter.com/VardaSpace/status/2038591947359551613

[Orionid]

Start planowany na 12:19 CEST.

ICEYE @iceye_global 10:11 AM · Mar 29, 2026
Several new ICEYE SAR satellites, including dedicated customer missions, will launch aboard @SpaceX’s Transporter-16 via @Exolaunch.
🗓 March 30
🕒 10:19 UTC
Strengthening the world’s largest and most advanced SAR constellation. Stay tuned.
Photo: SpaceX

https://twitter.com/iceye_global/status/2038167030080192751

[Lion97]

Rakieta SpaceX Falcon 9 wyniosła misję Transporter-16, 119 ładunków na niską orbitę okołoziemską, z kompleksu startowego SLC-4E (Space Launch Complex 4 East) z bazy Vandenberg w Kalifornii, 30 marca 2026 roku o godzinie 11:02 UTC (04:02 czasu PDT). Po oddzieleniu się stopni, pierwszy stopień Falcona 9 wylądował na barce „Of Course I Still Love You” stacjonującym na Oceanie Spokojnym. Pierwszy stopień Falcona 9 (B1093) wspierał wcześniej 11 misji: SDA T1TL-B Tranche 1, SDA T1TL-C Tranche 1 i 9 misji Starlink. Obie połowy owiewki są sprawdzone w locie, jedna latała już 25 raz, a druga 22.

To był 39 start SpaceX w tym roku, 14 start w marcu oraz 71 próba startu orbitalnego w 2026.





https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/2038621749961494632

[Orionid]

73//71/67/29-28)

39. start RN Falcon 9 w 2026.
621. start RN Falcon 9.
592. lądowanie boostera SpaceX.
187. lądowanie boostera SpaceX na  „Of Course I Still Love You”.

Kolejny hurtowy start
  30.03. o 11:02:00 z Vandenberg wystrzelona została RN Falcon-9R, która wyniosła na orbitę w ramach misji Transporter-16 satelity:
Acadia-10,
AE1a,
AiglonSat-1,
AISSat-4,
Black Kite-2,
BRO-19,
COSMO,
DecimalSat-1, 
DISCO-2,
Dream Big Constellation,
EMISAR,
ERMIS 1, ERMIS 2, ERMIS 3,
FEMTO-1,
FGN-100-d3,
Flylab-1, Flylab-2,
FOSSASAT-2E (FO025),
Ghost Rider,
GEMS2-Amethyst,
Gravitas,
HADES-SA (SpinnyONE),
Harbinger,
Hawk-14A, Hawk-14B, Hawk-14C,
HELLOWORLD-1,
HotSat-2,
ICEYE 1, ICEYE 2, ICEYE 3, ICEYE 4, ICEYE 5, ICEYE 6,
Innosat Unamuno (GARAI B),
Io-1,
ION SCV Astounding Alexandra,
IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET-2-9, IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET-2-10, IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET-2-11, IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET-2-12,
IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET-2-13, IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET-2-14, IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET-2-15, IRIDE-MS1-EAGLET-2-16,
JACK-002,
LEMUR-2-CARROLLEMO, LEMUR-2-CLARA, LEMUR-2-DELOITTE-2, LEMUR-2-DELOITTE-3, LEMUR-2-EMARCHIA,
LEMUR-2-IRINA, LEMUR-2-JULIA-JOEL, LEMUR-2-PEGGY-2004, LEMUR-2-POLO-11,
Lilium-4,
LUNA-2,
Mimir 1,
N1-ATLAS,
Newsat-53, Newsat-54,
OptiSat,
Out of the Box,
OSSIE [ERMINAZ-2U,
ERMINAZ-2V, ERMINAZ-2X],
PARUS-6U1,
PeakSat,
Phobos,
SAL-E,
SERT3,
SHARJAH-SAT-2,
SM-1.2,
Spacevan-002 [Araqys-D2],
SPOQC,
T.MicroSat-2,
TechEdSat-23 (TES-23),
TORO3,
TROOP-F3,
UNICORN-2R,
VegaFly-1,
Vigoride-7 NOM4DRide [IS-1 (InspectorSat-1)],
Vindlér 2.0.1, Vindlér 2.0.2, Vindlér 2.0.3,
VIREON-1, VIREON-2 i
W-Series 6.
Pierwszy stopień RN (B1093.12) w T+8' wylądował na ASDS OCISLY.
http://lk.astronautilus.pl/n260316.htm#17
https://www.spacex.com/launches/transporter16
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=61461.0

Vandenberg Space Force Base @SLDelta30 2:45 PM · Mar 30, 2026
Guardians and Airmen at Vandenberg Space Force Base supported the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Transporter-16 mission, Monday, March 30, 2026 at 4:02 a.m. from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E).
This marked the 21st launch from Vandenberg SFB in 2026.

https://twitter.com/SLDelta30/status/2038598450229424443

The next set of deployments has started

02:25:51   Flylab-2 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:26:03   GEMS2-Amethyst via D-Orbit deploys, manifested by Maverick Space Systems
02:26:08   Black Kite-2 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:26:15   LEMUR-2-IRINA deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:26:21   UNICORN-2R and UNICORN-2S deploy, manifested by SEOPS
02:26:28   Flylab-1 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:26:34   LEMUR-2-CLARA deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:26:40   AE1a deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:26:51   LEMUR-2-JULIA-JOEL deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:26:57   N1-ATLAS deploys, manifested by Maverick Space Systems
02:27:03   LEMUR-2-DELOITTE-2 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:27:15   Io-1 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:27:20   TORO3 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:27:25   LEMUR-2-POLO-11 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:27:38   FOSSASAT-2E (FO025) deploys, manifested by SEOPS
02:27:47   Mimir 1 deploys, manifested by OHB Sweden
02:27:53   LEMUR-2-PEGGY-2004 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:28:05   LEMUR-2-DELOITTE-3 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:28:17   LEMUR-2-EMARCHIA deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:28:27   ICEYE 1 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:28:43   LEMUR-2-CARROLLEMO deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:28:53   ICEYE 3 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:29:04   ICEYE 5 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:29:29   Vindlér 2.0.2 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:29:35   SERT3 deploys, manifested by Muon Space, Inc.
02:29:54   ICEYE 4 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:30:01   Acadia-10 deploys, manifested by Capella Space
02:30:19   ICEYE 6 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:30:38   Vindlér 2.0.3 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:31:01   ICEYE 2 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch
02:31:56   Vindlér 2.0.1 deploys, manifested by Exolaunch

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=61461.msg2773697#msg2773697

Lukas C. H. @GewoonLukas_ 3:22 PM · Mar 30, 2026
Deployment of Gravitas! Gravitas is a test sat for K2 Space's 20kW, 40-meter wingspan "Mega" satellite bus. From LEO, it will raise itself to MEO. Gravitas carries 12 payloads, including a pathfinder for SES' meoSphere, which will replace O3b mPOWER and use the Mega platform.

https://twitter.com/GewoonLukas_/status/2038607773877887374

Exolaunch @Exolaunch 2:08 PM · Mar 20, 2026
#Transporter16: We’re delighted to announce the upcoming launch of #PHOBOS, a satellite of our customer @AetheroSpace , aboard @SpaceX's Transporter-16 mission.
Exolaunch is set to deploy 57 customer satellites aboard Transporter-16 🚀
📸: Aethero

https://twitter.com/Exolaunch/status/2034980375764652202

Kongsberg NanoAvionics @NanoAvionics 3:51 PM · Jul 31, 2025
New mission on the radar! Synthetic Aperture Radar.

In Q1 2026, we will launch Eycore's X-band SAR payload aboard our MP42 microsatellite bus, designed for NATO and allied national security applications.

The mission will lay the groundwork for an all-European, military-grade SAR solution that provides governments with rapid, sovereign access to sub-meter, day-night, all-weather imagery.

Our flight-proven MP42 platform will provide the necessary peak power for the payload, data downlink, as well as the attitude control agility and stability required for various imaging modes for different intelligence requirements:

— Stripmap for continuous swath coverage
— Spotlight for sub-meter resolution of priority targets
— ScanSAR for very wide-area awareness

Together, these modes enable operators to seamlessly shift from border-length surveillance to vehicle-level inspection, supporting a broad spectrum of operational needs across intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), border security, maritime domain awareness, and rapid disaster response.

We have also been working in parallel on a satellite bus and next-generation payload, offering even higher resolution, wider swath, longer imaging times, higher incidence angle, and other improvements.

Learn more about these developments on our blog linked below.

https://twitter.com/NanoAvionics/status/1950917111913857306

[Orionid]

Satelity ICEYE dla polskiej armii wyniesione w kosmos w misji Transporter-16
30.03.2026

(...) Rakieta Falcon 9 zabrała na pokład 119 ładunków, w tym dwa satelity polsko-fińskiej firmy ICEYE, dostarczane polskiemu wojsku w ramach programu MikroSAR.

„I poleciały! Dwa kolejne polskie satelity lecą na orbitę! Na początku 2025 roku nie mieliśmy ani jednego – pod koniec 2026 roku będziemy mieć ich aż 9! To prawdziwa zmiana!” - napisał na X wiceminister obrony narodowej Cezary Tomczyk.

28 listopada ub.r. na orbitę trafił pierwszy satelita ICEYE dla Sił Zbrojnych RP. Dwa satelity wyniesione w marcu to identyczne urządzenia.

Jak informowała firma ICEYE po wyniesieniu pierwszego satelity, dzięki połączeniu różnych trybów obrazowania urządzenie to może wspierać wojsko w wielu sytuacjach. „W zależności od potrzeb można szybko przejść od ogólnego podglądu dużych obszarów do bardzo szczegółowej analizy konkretnego miejsca. Dzięki temu Siły Zbrojne RP zyskują dużą elastyczność w prowadzeniu rozpoznania” – czytamy. (...)
https://naukawpolsce.pl/aktualnosci/news%2C112325%2Csatelity-iceye-dla-polskiej-armii-wyniesione-w-kosmos-w-misji-transporter

Rafal Modrzewski @rmodrzewski 1:48 PM · May 12, 2026
Translated from Polish
Recently, Reuters wrote about Iran's use of Chinese satellites to locate military bases in the Middle East. This is already happening. Space is the new battlefield. ICEYE is jointly building Polish, independent capabilities with the MON.
Photo: Russian naval base Gadjievo, several submarines

https://twitter.com/rmodrzewski/status/2054166802905575428

Gadżyjewo, położone na Półwyspie Kolskim nad Zatoką Sajda, jest jednym z najważniejszych punktów rosyjskiej infrastruktury wojskowej na Dalekiej Północy. To miasto zamknięte i baza Floty Północnej, z której operują strategiczne atomowe okręty podwodne przenoszące rakiety balistyczne.

https://spidersweb.pl/2026/05/polski-satelita-iceeye-zdjecia.html

[Orionid]

Przykład tego, jak niewiele można napisać przy tak wielu ładunkach (119).

SpaceX launches 119 payloads on smallsat rideshare mission from California
March 30, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

(...) A little more than 8.5 minutes after liftoff, B1093 landed on the drone ship, ‘Of Course I Still Love You,’ positioned in the Pacific Ocean. It was the 187th landing on this vessel and the 592nd booster landing for the company to date.

What’s onboard?

Like previous SpaceX’s rideshare missions, this flight carried dozens of customers, from companies to sovereign governments to academia.

Exolaunch, with 57 payloads, and Seops Space, with 19 were responsible for booking the majority of the customers.

“Exolaunch is enabling launch access for more than 25 commercial, institutional, and government customers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, France, Finland, Greece, Italy, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, and more on this mission,” Exolaunch said in a statement in February.

The payloads overseen by Seops Space are a combination of 14 CubeSats and five PocketQubes. The latter of which are from a company called Alba Orbital and are Earth observation satellites.

“The Seops Transporter-16 manifest represents a truly global cross-section of the small satellite community, with payloads originating from 13 countries, including Canada, France, Malaysia, Nepal, Norway, Romania, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam,” Seops said in a statement.

Other notable payloads include Varda Space’s sixth reentry satellite bus, designed for on-orbit manufacturing, and the so-called ‘cake topper,’ the Gravitas satellite from K2 Space.

The Gravitas satellite has a wingspan of 40 meters with its solar panels unfurled and weighs about two metric tons. It’s designed to produce 20 kW of electricity. It will test technologies that will be needed for power-hungry in-orbit data centers.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/03/30/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-119-payloads-on-smallsat-rideshare-mission-from-california/

SpaceX launches Transporter-16 rideshare mission
by Jeff Foust March 30, 2026


A time-lapse image of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch of Transporter-16 March 30. Credit: SpaceX

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — SpaceX launched the latest in its series of dedicated rideshare missions March 30, delivering more than 100 payloads to sun-synchronous orbit.

A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 7:02 a.m. Eastern on the Transporter-16 mission. SpaceX announced two and a half hours later that it completed all the deployments of payloads on the rocket’s upper stage.

The rocket carried 119 payloads, which included both satellites directly deployed from the Falcon 9 as well as hosted payloads and tugs that will later deploy satellites.

The largest payload on Transporter-16 was Gravitas from K2 Space. The spacecraft, flying a demonstration mission funded by the U.S. Space Force, is the first in the company’s “Mega class” of satellites producing 20 kilowatts of power. The company raised $250 million in December to scale up production of large spacecraft, including for satellite operator SES.

As with previous rideshare missions, Transporter-16 included a mix of returning and new customers. Companies such as Capella Space, HawkEye 360, Iceye, Satellogic, Spire and Unseenlabs augmented their constellations with spacecraft on the mission.

SatVu, a British company developing thermal infrared imaging technologies, flew its HotSat-2 on the mission, replacing its initial HotSat-1 spacecraft that failed six months after launch. Sierra Nevada Corp. launched three of its Vindlér radiofrequency-intelligence spacecraft built by Muon Space.

The launch included several orbital transfer vehicles carrying satellites or hosted payloads. Momentus, which had not launched its Vigoride tug since 2023, launched Vigoride-7 with 10 demonstration payloads. D-Orbit launched its latest Ion vehicle, while Exotrail launched its second spacevan vehicle.

The combination of low-cost SpaceX rideshare missions with orbital transfer vehicles, or OTVs, at one time appeared to threaten the business case for small launch vehicles. While SpaceX Transporter and Bandwagon missions go to sun-synchronous (SSO) or mid-inclination orbits, respectively, orbital transfer vehicles offered, in theory, “last-mile” services to take satellites to their preferred orbits.

However, demand for transfer vehicles has not materialized as once expected. “I think the market has spoken,” said Brian Rogers, vice president of global launch services at Rocket Lab, which operates the Electron small launch vehicle.

He noted during a Satellite 2026 panel March 25 that with orbital transfer vehicles that can be accommodated on Transporter missions, using a common form factor known as an ESPA ring, “you get, at best, one degree of inclination change.”

“It’s not the type of thing where you’re going to launch into SSO and then be able to swing over to mid-inclination,” he said. “It doesn’t add capability, and the price is still something equivalent to just buying a dedicated small launch.”

Adam Oakes, vice president of launch at Firefly Aerospace, agreed, but said there may be some specific use cases for OTVs, such as going from low Earth orbit to medium Earth orbit or interplanetary missions.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a world where there’s 14 OTV manufacturers,” he said on the panel. “I think that’s a really complicated logistics model.”

“We’ve heard forever that the next OTV company was coming for small launch,” Rogers concluded. “It’s just not materialized because the economics don’t work out with the physics.”
https://spacenews.com/spacex-launches-transporter-16-rideshare-mission/

2)

Varda Space Industries @VardaSpace 3:37 AM · May 20, 2026
W-6 is back.
This flight pushed on two fronts: autonomous hypersonic navigation and next-generation thermal protection systems.
High-cadence reentry missions in repeatable conditions.

https://twitter.com/VardaSpace/status/2056912224690786789
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/varda-space-industries-successfully-reenters-w-6-validating-autonomous-navigation-and-advanced-thermal-protection-systems-302775804.html
https://www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/southern-launch-aids-varda-w-6-capsule-re-entry