A Falcon rocket launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Friday will carry another collection of small satellites, two built in Santa Barbara and others crafted around the world but all set to conduct a mixture of missions.
Liftoff of the two-stage rocket built by SpaceX will occur during a 53-minute window opening at 11:20 a.m. from Space Launch Complex-4 for the Transporter-11 mission.
If needed, a backup opportunity exists with the same window Saturday.
More than seven minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster, making its 12th flight, will return to land at Vandenberg’s Landing Zone 4, just west of the launch site. The return to Vandenberg could generate sonic booms heard around Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties.
Some 116 small payloads from a variety of customers make up the dedicated rideshare mission. The cargo includes CubeSats, MicroSats, and an orbital transfer vehicle carrying eight of those payloads, five of which will be deployed at a later time.
Deployment of the payloads will start 53 minutes after the rocket lifts off and finish more than two hours after the launch, according to SpaceX.
The cargo includes a pair of satellites belonging to Umbra, a Santa Barbara-based firm started by two friends.
Using synthetic aperture radar, the satellites can collect detailed images with an ability to see through clouds at night.
Many of the small satellites were added to the mission manifest by Exolaunch, which has its headquarters in Germany and an office in Denver.
The company developed and manufactured a system for small satellites to share a ride aboard the same rocket and later separate to conduct their own missions.
The firm posted a picture of the mishmash of satellites saying “Stacks on stacks on stacks.”
“We’re proud to be part of the @SpaceX Transporter-11 mission and honored to support our customers and their 42 satellites on our historic 30th mission!”
The Transporter-11 mission could be the firm’s largest of 2024 so far, with 42 small satellites for 23 global customers, according to Exolaunch.
Exolaunch’s payload includes the Arctic Weather Satellite, a prototype mission aiming to improve weather forecasts.
The northern region currently lacks data for accurate short-term forecasts, prompting the European Space Agency satellite built in Sweden.
Depending on the mission outcome, the ESA said it could lead to the creation of a constellation weather satellites.
The Arctic Weather Satellite’s trek to space will occur just days after a pair of Arctic communication craft for Norway traveled into orbit from Vandenberg.
The spacecraft for Exolaunch’s customers aboard the Transporter-11 mission represent a variety of government space agencies, commercial companies, and academic research institutions.
They also represent the following nations: Argentina, Denmark, Finland, France, Indonesia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States.
Four ICEYE will add to Finland’s synthetic aperture radar satellites to monitor Earth.
“ICEYE’s powerful constellation ensures observation in any weather condition, at any time of day, delivering unparalleled flexibility + detail,” Exolaunch officials said.
Vandenberg has restricted access, but several locations around the Lompoc Valley provide views of the launch and landing sites, which are south of West Ocean Avenue/Highway 246.
The locations include west of Lompoc on Ocean Avenue/Highway 246 and near the intersection of Moonglow and Stardust roads.
Providence Landing Park, at 699 Mercury Ave. in Vandenberg Village, also is a popular gathering spot to view launches, along with the peak of Harris Grade Road.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about 10 minutes prior to liftoff, and can be found at the SpaceX website and on X @SpaceX.