Originally, SpaceX planned to launch its Falcon 9 rocket for the Transporter-2 on Friday afternoon, though the company has decided to push the launch back, according to a post on Twitter.
SpaceX announced that it would now target Tuesday, June 29 for the upcoming Falcon 9 Transporter-2 launch, which will reportedly carry 88 new spacecraft into orbit. In addition, the rocket will carry “more customer mass” than the company’s last rideshare mission, the Transporter-1 launch in January, which saw 143 spacecraft launched.
Targeting Tuesday, June 29 for launch of Transporter-2. This mission will launch 88 spacecraft to orbit and more customer mass than SpaceX’s previous dedicated rideshare mission
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 25, 2021
The Transporter-2 mission is only SpaceX’s second dedicated ridesharing mission, in which the companies launch multiple small payloads and share the launch costs among each other. January’s Transporter-1 mission set records for launching the most spacecraft into orbit in one flight.
In addition to the other spacecraft, the Transporter-1 also launched SpaceX’s first round of Starlink satellites in January. At this point, the company has launched roughly 1,800 Starlink satellites, with plans to launch a total of 4,400 by the end of 2022. The low-Earth orbit satellite internet service is set to reach global coverage around September, as reported by SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell.
In April, SpaceX requested approval from the FCC to move its satellites into a lower orbital altitude, and after gaining approval, CEO Elon Musk shared that the move was to help reduce orbital debris.
