Early within the morning of Nov. 2 , 2025, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket roared off its pad on the Area Launch Complicated in Cape Canaveral, carrying the devoted rideshare mission often called Bandwagon-4 into orbit.
Aboard had been 18 payloads, a few of them experimental applied sciences and others satellites, all heading for low Earth orbit. And, like most SpaceX missions, this one featured a rocket touchdown, which is highlighted above.
What’s it?
Bandwagon is one among SpaceX’s two satellite-rideshare packages, together with Transporter. As its title suggests, Bandwagon-4 was the fourth mission in this system, and in response to the manifest, it efficiently delivered 18 payloads to their goal orbits.
The place is it?
This picture was taken at Touchdown Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral Area Drive Station in Florida, the place the Falcon 9 first stage touched down on Nov. 2.
Why is it superb?
Rideshare packages make entry to house extra inexpensive to varied stakeholders that won’t be capable of afford a devoted launch, resembling universities and start-ups.
These teams can add their experiments and know-how to the Falcon 9 rocket — payloads resembling Huge Area’s Haven Demo, a pathfinder for Haven-1, a personal house station. The profitable launch of Bandwagon-4 marks a key step in making house extra accessible as humanity continues to look to the celebrities.
And rocket landings, which SpaceX has made routine over the previous decade or so, are superb in their very own proper: They assist lower the prices of spaceflight and permit extra rockets to get off the pad in a well timed vogue.
Need to be taught extra?
You’ll be able to be taught extra about rideshare missions and SpaceX’s work.
