SpaceX simply launched a satellite tv for pc that might assist pave the way in which for a personal area station within the very close to future.
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida right now at 1:09 a.m. EDT (0509 GMT), on a multi-satellite rideshare mission that SpaceX calls Bandwagon-4.
“The first step in our iterative approach towards building next-generation space stations, Haven Demo will test critical systems for Haven-1, including propulsion, flight computers and navigation software,” Vast wrote in a description of the satellite.
Vast’s Haven-1 will launch to low Earth orbit (LEO) atop a Falcon 9, maybe as quickly because the second quarter of 2026. If that schedule holds, Haven-1 — which might help as much as 4 astronauts at a time — would be the first standalone non-public area station in human historical past.
The different 17 payloads that went up right now might be operated by South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the Berlin-based firm Exolaunch, Turkey’s Fergani Space, the weather-forecasting outfit Tomorrow Companies and Starcloud, which goals to construct information facilities in area.
The Falcon 9’s first stage got here again to Earth as deliberate right now about eight minutes after launch, touching down at Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone-2. It was the third flight for this explicit booster, in response to SpaceX.
The rocket’s higher stage, in the meantime, continued carrying the 18 payloads to orbit. It will deploy them over an hour-long stretch that begins about 12 minutes after liftoff with the separation of ADD’s Korea 425 satellite tv for pc.
As its title suggests, Bandwagon-4 was the fourth mission in SpaceX’s Bandwagon sequence to elevate off. The firm additionally operates one other rideshare program referred to as Transporter, which has 14 launches to its title up to now.
Bandwagon-4 was the one hundred and fortieth Falcon 9 launch of 2025 already. More than 70% of the rocket’s missions this yr have been devoted to constructing out Starlink, SpaceX’s large and ever-growing broadband megaconstellation.