"SpaceX completed another major milestone for its Smallsat Rideshare program on Friday, successfully launching and deploying 140 spacecraft aboard a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The mission, known as Transporter-15, lifted off two days later than planned after a scrub attributed to a ground systems issue, according to SpaceFlight Now. SpaceX confirmed that all payloads designed to separate from the rocket were deployed as planned."
"The Falcon 9 used for this flight was booster B1071, one of SpaceX's most heavily flown rockets. With its 30th mission completed, it becomes the second booster in SpaceX's fleet to reach that milestone. B1071's manifest includes five National Reconnaissance Office missions, NASA's SWOT satellite, and several previous rideshare deployments, among others. Elon Musk celebrated the milestone on X, writing "30 flights of the same rocket!" in his post."
"While rocket landings are routine for SpaceX today, that was not always the case. Industry veterans previously questioned whether reusable rockets could ever achieve meaningful cost savings or operational reliability, often citing the Space Shuttle's partial reusability as evidence of failure. In 2016, Orbital ATK's Ben Goldberg argued during a panel that even if rockets could be reusable, they do not make a lot of sense. He took issue with Elon Musk's claims at the time, Ars Technica reported, partic"
SpaceX launched the Transporter-15 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base and deployed 140 spacecraft using a Falcon 9 rocket. The flight was delayed two days by a ground systems issue but successfully deployed all payloads designed to separate. Booster B1071 completed its 30th flight and landed on an ocean droneship, becoming the second booster in SpaceX's fleet to reach 30 missions. B1071's manifest includes five National Reconnaissance Office missions, NASA's SWOT satellite, and multiple prior rideshare deployments. Industry observers previously questioned the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of reusable rockets, citing examples like the Space Shuttle.
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