Space Rideshare Missions

Last week, SpaceX's Transporter-9 mission launched over 100 satellites into space. Transporter, which some call a "rideshare" mission, relies on the reusable Falcon 9 rocket to take many different satellites and spacecraft to orbit, enabling multiple companies to share the benefits (and costs) of the space launch.

These satellites have been deployed to support a variety of important functions from providing Internet and imaging to detecting weather and climate patterns. Some are larger and include their own propulsion systems; while others like NanoSats, PicoSats and CubeSats are small enough to hold in your hand, and play a big role in expanding our abilities to send data to and from space.

There were also three OTVs (Orbital Transfer Vehicles) onboard Falcon 9, including Mira, the first of many OTVs developed and deployed by Impulse Space. Mira was designed for rapid maneuvering in LEO (Low Earth Orbit), enabling satellites to reach specific orbital paths and altitudes.

Rideshare missions like Transporter are extremely important to the growing space economy. Without these launch providers, smaller satellite companies and startups would be unable to get their payloads into space. Due to the increasing number of launch providers and rideshare missions, the cost of launching a satellite into space has decreased greatly over the last five years. Increased availability and decreased prices enable space companies to grow and innovate at an incredible rate. 

With so much growth happening within this expensive and high-risk industry, it's never been more important for organizations to invest in modern tools that help with building and operating spacecraft. That’s where we come in!

Epsilon3 is proud to support the world’s most innovative launch and satellite providers. Our Co-Founder & CEO, Laura Crabtree, said, “We're really excited to see so many of our growing customers achieve mission success with the support of SpaceX programs like Transporter-9. After leaving SpaceX in 2020, and seeing the vastness of the space industry, my impetus for starting Epsilon3 was to support startups like Impulse Space by giving them access to modern, efficient software tools that empower them to continually innovate, iterate and grow. I'm eager to see the impact all of these companies will have on the future of the space industry and economy!”

In addition to engineering and launch procedures, Epsilon3 also helps teams manage parts, inventory and testing. Flight testing and resource traceability are becoming increasingly important in the aerospace industry as regulatory agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) set stricter safety and compliance standards to certify commercial spacecraft. As the space industry evolves, Epsilon3 strives to be a trusted software provider for teams that want to improve operational reliability, visibility and scalability.

Drew Damon, VP of Spacecraft at Impulse, shared, “Impulse Space prides itself on executing test and mission operations that are safe, efficient, data-rich, and continuously improving. Epsilon3 is a powerful tool for optimizing complex processes and capturing lessons learned so that operators can focus on mission success.”

Book a live demo to learn how our platform can streamline and improve your operations.