Spaceflight to Send 71 Satellites Into Orbit in Rideshare Mission

Seattle-based aerospace company Spaceflight aims to send 71 satellites into sun-synchronous low earth orbit aboard a SpaceX-built Falcon 9 rocket as part of a rideshare mission later this year.

The mission, dubbed SSO-A: SmallSat Express, will launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base and carry a payload of 15 microsatellites and 56 CubeSats developed by multiple domestic and international commercial and government customers, Spaceflight said Monday.

These customers include the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Honeywell Aerospace, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok and the Nevada Museum of Art.

Spaceflight is also handling a variety of services attendant to the mission, including regulatory procedures, business development, planning and engineering, as well as integration, which is being carried out at the company’s facility in Auburn, Washington.

Company president Curt Blake called the upcoming mission “a challenging feat” and “a momentous milestone” for his company, adding that “our talented team has made many advances to make this historic launch a reality.”