SpaceX Transporter-6 Mission Launches 114 Satellites To Orbit, In 200th Landmark Flight

In SpaceX's first launch of 2023, its Falcon 9 rocket lifted today at 1456 UTC, Jan. 3, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, carrying 114 satellites to orbit -- the second-most spacecraft ever lofted on a single mission. Transporter-1 mission sent 143 satellites to orbit in Jan. 2021.

About 2.5 minutes after liftoff Tuesday, the Falcon 9's two stages separated, with the first stage returning back down to Earth. The booster touched down successfully six minutes later, at Cape Canaveral. Meanwhile the second or upper stage continued hauling its payloads to orbit.

The 114 satellites on today's flight include "cubesats, microsats, picosats and orbital transfer vehicles carrying spacecraft to be deployed at a later time," according to SpaceX.

SpaceX planned 82 separate deployments in orbit. "We were able to confirm 77 of the 82 deployments," operations engineer Sivan Bharadvaj said during a live webcast of the launch. "Because the spacecraft on this mission are smallsats, and because some of them deploy in close proximity to another, it can be difficult for us to confirm the deployments in real time."

As Bharadvaj promised, SpaceX later on Tuesday, announced on social media, the completion of the deployments. "Rideshare deployment sequence complete," the company tweeted.

Among the 114 payloads on today's flight, are three dozen cubesats or "SuperDoves," Earth-observing satellites the size of a loaf of bread, built and operated by the San Francisco-based company Planet. There are also six craft that will be operated by Virginia-based space analytics company Spire Global, as well as EOS SAT-1, the first spacecraft in a seven-satellite, agriculture-focused constellation planned by EOS Data Analytics (EOSDA).

The EOSDA network which should be up and running by 2025, will study farmlands and forests around the world. According to the company, its data will help customers monitor crop growth and health and implement sustainable practices, among other applications.

"This launch brings new game-changing possibilities of satellite technologies to the agricultural industry," EOSDA CEO Artiom Anisimov said in a statement. "EOSDA will now work with proprietary datasets to provide even deeper and more accurate insights for its customers and partners."

Transporter-6 marked SpaceX's 200th flight, the company's 161st successful rocket landing, and this particular Falcon 9 first stage's 15th mission.

SpaceX rang out 2022 with launch of Israeli Earth-imaging satellite EROS C-3 into orbit from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California late Thursday night (Dec. 29) at 0738 UTC. "This is our 61st and final SpaceX launch of 2022," Jesse Anderson, SpaceX's production and engineering manager, said during a live webcast.

Earth Resources Observation Satellite C3 (EROS C-3), is a $186 million Earth observation satellite built to enable "defense and intelligence organizations to conduct operations under complete confidentiality and data protection," according to its Israel-based maker ImageSat International.

WATCH SpaceX launch 114 satellites to orbit atop Falcon 9 rocket