Object F

Description

Object F is the sixth of 140 satellites that comprise the Transporter 15 mission. Transporter 15 is a dedicated rideshare mission by SpaceX. It provides small satellite operators with regularly scheduled, dedicated Falcon 9 rideshare missions to a Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) for ESPA class payloads. The cost is as low as $300,000 per mission, which includes up to 50kg of payload mass. The rocket body for this mission carried these payloads on a southerly trajectory.

Included among the 140 payloads are cubesats, microsats, hosted payloads, and orbital transfer vehicles (which carry 13 payloads to be deployed at a later time). The mission included Earth observation, IoT connectivity, and scientific research satellites. One of the benefits of the rideshare program is that it offers payload providers multiple avenues to get their spacecraft on a trip to space for a reduced cost from a dedicated rocket launch.

The rocket body for this mission, Falcon 9, is a 3.9 m diameter, 70 m tall two-stage rocket. Nine Merlin 1D engines power the first stage booster, while the second stage utilizes a single vacuum-optimized Merlin engine. Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy are the first orbital rockets to achieve regular re-use, with several Falcon boosters having flown over 20 flights. The two payload fairings are also recovered and reused after flight.

The booster for this mission, B1071, supported Transporter 15 on its 30th mission, making it the second Falcon booster to achieve 30 flights. Following launch and stage separation, B1071 landed on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship, Of Course I Still Love You, which was stationed approximately 640 km downrange in the Pacific Ocean. The booster will be returned to port in Long Beach.

This was Falcon 9’s 570th mission, SpaceX’s 597th mission, and the 282nd orbital launch attempt of 2025.