SpaceX Beats ISRO By Launching The Most Satellites In A Vehicle, 143

SpaceX created a new world record by launching 143 satellites on one vehicle last weekend. The company broke a record previously made by ISRO, in which it launched 104 satellites on a single vehicle in 2017.

Elon Musk’s space company launched the satellites using the Falcon 9 rocket, which took off at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the US. The launch was initially scheduled for the previous day but delayed due to bad weather.

This is the first mission that SpaceX has launched with payloads from multiple customers. It offers smallsat rideshare that charges $1 million for the first 200 kilograms and each additional kilogram is charged $5,000.

The launch carries satellites of Earth-imaging firm Planet Labs, IoT connectivity company Swarm, and satellite communication startup Kepler. Apart from that, SpaceX launched 10 Starlink satellites onboard this rocket, which will provide internet services for remote areas on Earth.

With this launch, there are now 955 satellites in the Starlink network. Eventually, SpaceX aims to launch 30,000 Starlink satellites to achieve global broadband coverage.

Many space agencies are racing to become a player in the smallsat market, which may reach $9.74 billion by 2027. The new record-breaking launch has helped SpaceX become one step ahead of its rivals.

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