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SpaceX will turn one of its Falcon 9 rockets into the space equivalent of a crowded Uber when it launches its Transporter-1 carpool mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Sunday. The payload for this mission includes a cornucopia of small satellites from government and commercial entities, as well as 10 of SpaceX’s own satellites. Starlink broadband satellites.
We learned on Thursday that the shipment will include 48 SuperDove satellites for Planet Labs, bringing the total to 133 satellites in a single launch.
SpaceX has confirmed the total number of satellites in the carpooling payload. There were last-minute changes after two DARPA satellites were accidentally damaged earlier this month at a processing facility. Starlink satellites were also a last minute addition. The payload includes several small spacecraft from Nanoracks and others from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the US Department of Defense and many others.
The launch was originally scheduled for December, but has been postponed several times, including from Saturday, when the weather pushed it back to Sunday.
The Falcon 9 booster will make its fifth flight and is expected to land on a droneship stationed in the Atlantic shortly after the flight. SpaceX is also likely to attempt to reclaim the fairing, or nose cone, a move that is becoming a more common part of every mission.
The launch is scheduled for as early as 7 a.m. PT (10 a.m. ET) with a 22-minute launch window. The entire mission will be broadcast live as usual by SpaceX. You can follow along below starting about 10 minutes before launch.
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