Object A

Description

Object A was the first of 119 satellites delivered by Transporter-16, a dedicated smallsat rideshare mission. SpaceX’s SmallSat Rideshare Program provides small satellite operators with regularly scheduled Falcon 9 rideshare missions to SSO for ESPA class payloads. This includes a payload mass up to 50kg for as low as $350,000 per mission.

Once the upper stage reached the targeted Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), it completed four engine burns. Payload deployments began at T+55 minutes and finished at T+2:31 hours. Transporter 16’s payloads include picosatellites, nanosatellites, and an orbital service vehicle (OSV).

German-based Exolaunch is the largest customer, manifesting 57 payloads. Beyond Exolaunch, another large contributor to Transporter-16 is SEOPS. This company manifested 19 payloads with a variety of government, commercial, and academic purposes. Additionally, Vigoride-7, an Orbital Service Vehicle from Momentus Inc., is hosting 10 payloads.

The rocket body for this mission, Falcon 9, followed a southern trajectory out of Vandenberg. SpaceX’s autonomous droneship, Of Course I Still Love You, was stationed downrange in the Pacific to recover the first stage booster, B1093. Flying its 12th mission, B1093 previously supported nine Starlink and two Tranche 1 Transport Layer missions.

The payloads on Transporter 16 are varied in design and purpose and reflect the growing international and commercial nature of space exploration. This was SpaceX’s 649th mission and Falcon 9’s 622nd mission. It was the 71st orbital launch attempt of 2026.