Exolaunch deploys over 30 smallsats on Spacex's Transporter-8 Rideshare Mission

Exolaunch deploys over 30 smallsats on Spacex's Transporter-8 Rideshare Mission
by Staff Writers
Vandenberg AFB CA (SPX) Jun 12, 2023

On June 12, the Transporter-8 rideshare mission successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission featured the integration of 32 customer satellites, facilitated by Exolaunch, with SpaceX's Falcon 9. This launch denotes a significant landmark for Exolaunch, pushing its total to over 300 satellites launched for customers.

The Transporter-8 mission was marked by the participation of Exolaunch customers from diverse geographic locales including Europe, Asia, and North America. Exolaunch provided mission management and integration services to new and returning customers alike. This includes established NewSpace entities like Spire Global, Kongsberg NanoAvionics, and ICEYE, and returning clientele such as Satlantis, Swarm Technologies, and TU Stuttgart.

This mission also debuted new customers who opted for Exolaunch's CarboNIX shock-free microsatellite separation systems. These newcomers included Muon Space, Turion Space, Aerospacelab, and Azista BST Aerospace (ABA), who entrusted their satellites to the reliable separation capabilities of the CarboNIX system.

Exolaunch oversaw the successful integration of all its customers' satellites prior to the launch. This included matching 12 microsatellites and 20 CubeSats with SpaceX's novel Rideshare Plates. Exolaunch's Berlin facility served as the nexus where teams from around the world convened to perform joint integration of CubeSats using their EXOpod / EXOpod Nova deployers. Following this, microsatellite customers were integrated using CarboNIX at the launch site in Vandenberg, California.

Notably, Exolaunch also furnished mission-specific hardware to its customers. The CarboNIX separation system, with its record of over 50 smallsat deployments across 12 missions, has established itself as a reliable and scalable solution for microsatellite innovators. In addition, the CubeSat customers were provided with EXOpod / EXOpod Nova deployers, a first-of-its-kind system that has set industry records, including the deployment of the initial 16U smallsat in orbit.

Exolaunch's Mission Director, Connor Pollock, expressed his team's commitment to customer success at every stage of the mission. "They orchestrate missions that are years in the making to ensure a smooth experience - even on entirely new rideshare architectures like we've seen here. However, launch services are only one side of the story, and we're very grateful to SpaceX for continuing to transform the access-to-space landscape with regular, reliable launches and ever-better technology," he stated.

The Transporter-8 rideshare mission is the 11th Exolaunch has participated in with SpaceX, under Multi-Launch Agreements established in 2020 and continually expanded to include new missions. Exolaunch has manifested customers on every Transporter mission since the inception of the program.