Falcon 9 Block 5 | Bandwagon 5 (Dedicated Mid-Inclination Rideshare)
October 20, 2026 at 11:04 AM UTC
MISSION
Dedicated rideshare flight to a mid-inclination orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers. This launch also carries the second demonstration mission for SpaceX’s Project Starfall, which aims to mass-produce reentry capsules designed to autonomously transport valuable customer experiments and other payloads safely back from space to Earth, including for in-orbit manufacturing. Starfall is a cylindrical shaped capsule approximately 0.75 meters tall with a diameter of 3.1 meters, weighing approximately 2100 kilograms, and capable of carrying 1000 kilograms of payload. It is designed to be carried on Starship flights.
OUTCOME
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Bandwagon 5 (Dedicated Mid-Inclination Rideshare) completed its mission. The vehicle performed as expected and the payload reached its intended destination. SpaceX logged another successful flight in what has become a routine that was, not long ago, considered impossible to achieve at this pace.
The launch vehicle successfully inserted its payload(s) into the target orbit(s).
VEHICLE
Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. The Block 5 variant is the fifth major interval aimed at improving upon the ability for rapid reusability.
If this mission lands back at the Cape or Vandenberg, find out if you are close enough to hear the double sonic boom.
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