Update by the edhat staff
November 11, 2023
SpaceX’s Transporter-9 mission successfully launched the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base late Saturday morning, Veteran’s Day.
The rocket launched at 10:49 a.m. with clear blue skies offering visibility for miles. A large sonic boom was heard shortly after prompting many edhat readers to email in questions resembling, “what the heck was that?!?”
Edhat contributor Joe DeLise captured a photo of the launch reporting a “MAJOR” sonic boom was heard around 11:00 a.m.
This was the 12th launch and landing of this Falcon 9 stage booster, which previously supported the launch of NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah-1, SWOT, Transporter-8, and six Starlink missions
During this mission, 90 payloads were expected to deploy from Falcon 9 across 89 deployments, and 86 deployments have been confirmed. Teams are continuing to review data for the remaining payloads, though it may take customers some time to provide additional information on the status of their payloads.
Read more about the Transporter-9 mission in our earlier version below:
By the edhat staff
November 9, 2023
SpaceX has scheduled another rocket launch late Saturday morning from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Space Launch Complex 4 East within a 55-minute launch window that opens at 10:49 a.m. If needed, there is a backup opportunity Sunday, November 12 with the same window.
The flight is part of the company’s Transporter-9 mission to low-Earth orbit. Transporter-9 is SpaceX’s ninth dedicated smallsat rideshare mission. There will be 90 payloads on this flight deployed by Falcon 9, including CubeSats, MicroSats, and orbital transfer vehicles carrying an additional 23 spacecraft to be deployed at a later time.
The first stage booster supporting this mission previously launched NROL-87, NROL-85, SARah-1, SWOT, Transporter-8, and six Starlink missions. Following stage separation, Falcon 9 will land on Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Weather depending, the flight could be seen for up to 100 miles.
A live webcast of this mission will begin on X @SpaceX about five minutes prior to liftoff.