SpaceX launches CAS500-2 and 45 other payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit

Date:
Sun, 03 May 2026 18:00:27 +0000

Description:
SpaceX successfully launched its third rideshare mission of 2026 aboard
Falcon 9. The mission carried The post SpaceX launches CAS500-2 and 45 other payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .

FULL STORY ======================================================================

SpaceX successfully launched its third rideshare mission of 2026 aboard
Falcon 9. The mission carried the Compact Advanced Satellite 500-2 (CAS500-2) and 45 other payloads as part of SpaceXs rideshare program.



Falcon 9 launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, and recovered the veteran first-stage
booster, B1071, for the mission using a return-to-launch-site (RTLS) profile, with the booster landing at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) at T+07:34 minutes. B1071 flew for the 33rd time to a Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).

The vehicle launched on a southerly trajectory with a near-polar inclination of 98.1 degrees, with the second stage conducting four engine burns to adjust its altitude and deliver the payloads in stages. The second stage deployed
the primary spacecraft, CAS500-2, at T+00:59:54, with the final payload at T+2:30. Transporter-16 launch from Vandenberg (Credit:SpaceX)

CAS500-2

CAS500-2 is a Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) Earth-observation satellite weighing 500 kg. The satellite and its twin, CAS500-1, will image Earth in panchromatic and multispectral modes using the Advanced Earth
Imaging Sensor System (AEISS-C) payload. The two satellites will be 180 degrees apart, halving revisit times and enabling rapid detection for Earth monitoring.

A Roscosmos Soyuz 2.1a launched the first satellite in the series, CAS500-1, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in 2021. The Korean Space Launch Vehicle-II (KSLV-II) delivered CAS500-3 to orbit in November 2025. Unlike the other two satellites, CAS500-3 focuses on Earths magnetosphere.

CAS500-1 and CAS500-2 will primarily be used for land observation, disaster monitoring, and landscape topography. The satellites will maintain an
altitude of 528 km and an inclination of 98.1 degrees. Powered by four deployable fixed solar arrays, the satellites are expected to have a
four-year lifetime. Render of CAS500 satellite (Credit:KARI)

Exolaunch

Exolaunch, a German launch services provider, added 39 payloads for the mission. The company has manifested spacecraft on every SpaceX rideshare mission, with 740 payloads delivered to date across multiple vehicles, including Rocket Labs Electron. Exolaunch is representing 20 government, commercial and educational institutions on this mission.

With the advent of quantum computing, more secure encryption is needed to protect information. QUBE-II, a 6U microsatellite, will demonstrate quantum key distribution (QKD) between a satellite and a ground station for the first time. This technology will enable secure data transmission, and, due to the nature of quantum particles, the data-sharers will be able to detect eavesdropping.

Another Exolaunch payload is SNAPPY, developed by Wichita State University in partnership with NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Marshall Spaceflight Center. The student-developed 3U CubeSat will be the first space-based solar neutrino detector. The project focuses on identifying electrons, protons and alpha particles within the solar wind, a task that ground-based studies
cannot perform as easily. The payload will collect scientific data over the North and South Poles.

EMTech Space and the European Space Agency have twin 8U satellites, HELIOS
and SELENE, on the mission. These Earth-observation CubeSats serve several purposes, including validating high-speed laser links that will enable faster transmission speeds and improved security. The payloads will demonstrate on-board processing, including data compression and encryption in orbit. EMTech will use high-resolution cameras for land monitoring and agriculture. HELIOS AND SELENE at Exolaunch facilities (Credit:Exolaunch)

A student-led payload for the mission is the University of Calgarys Frontier Sat. This Exolaunch satellite will study Earths ionosphere and the
atmospheric phenomenon known as Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement (STEVE). STEVE is a 25 km-wide ribbon of hot plasma at an altitude of 450 km, producing a purple and green light ribbon in the night sky.

Another Exolaunch customer, the German space intelligence startup OroraTech, is launching four of its Forest satellites. These thermal imaging satellites form part of a larger constellation for wildfire monitoring. SpaceX launched the first satellite, Forest-1, on the Transporter-3 mission. Hydra-3, developed by Aistech Space, is another rideshare payload that uses thermal imagery to track wildfires. The 6U satellite can also monitor maritime and aeronautical assets.

Planet Labs

Planet Labs, a San Francisco-based Earth imaging company, deployed three satellites for its Pelican constellation. Each satellite, weighing 200 kg, is equipped with a Pelican imager, an optical instrument designed to capture
very high-resolution imagery.

The company plans to launch 32 satellites in total, each capable of capturing imagery at 50 cm resolution. The satellites are primarily used for real-time situational awareness and rapid response to floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters. Render of a Planet Labs Pelican on orbit (Credit: Planet Labs)

Other Payloads

Other payloads on the mission included True Anomalys Jackal, a highly manoeuvrable autonomous orbital vehicle (AOV). The low-cost spacecraft features a high-performance 20-thruster configuration and is designed for military applications.

Impulso.Space is manifesting GalaxEyes Mission Drishti, an Indian Earth-observation satellite. This satellite is set to be the first multi-sensor satellite, combining Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) with a
7-band multispectral imager.

Argotec, an Italian aerospace company, is launching seven Hawk Earth Observation (HEO) satellites on the mission. These 65 kg microsatellites are part of an expected constellation of 40. The HEO constellation is part of Italys IRIDE, the largest Earth-observation constellation, in collaboration with the European Space Agency.

SpaceXs rideshare programme continues to provide more affordable access to orbit for small satellites across commercial, government and educational institutions. Other rideshare missions scheduled for 2026 include Transporter-17 and Transporter-18, with launches planned for NET June and October, respectively. Payloads inside Falcon 9s fairing halves (Credit:SpaceX)

Lead Image: Falcon 9 launches CAS500-2 & Others (Credit: SpaceX)



The post SpaceX launches CAS500-2 and 45 other payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit appeared first on NASASpaceFlight.com .



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Link to news story: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/05/spacex-launch-cas500-2-45-payloads-orb it/


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