Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Sunday, breaking a world space record by deploying 143 spacecraft into orbit aboard its Falcon 9 rocket.
The company launched the spacecraft as part of a SmallSat ‘Rideshare’ program called Transporter-1.
“Falcon 9 launches 143 spacecraft to orbit — the most ever deployed on a single mission — completing SpaceX’s first dedicated SmallSat Rideshare Program mission,” SpaceX tweeted.
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The Falcon 9 rocket took off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral on Sunday carrying 143 spacecraft into orbit breaking the global record for the most spacecraft launched at once. This included 133 commercial and government spacecraft and 10 Starlink satellites, CNBC reported.
The previous record was held by the Indian Space Research Organisation by deploying 104 satellites in a single launch in February 2017, as per reports.
SpaceX’s rideshare program provides the small satellite operators an “increased access” to space with a “reliable, affordable ride to orbit,” the company explained in a tweet.