A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the Transporter-18 ridershare mission launched three Canadian satellites from California on Thursday: two methane monitors for GHGSat and the first satellite built by NordSpace.
The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:32 a.m. Pacific time, Space.com reported, 14 minutes into a window that opened at 11:18. Its first stage landed back at Vandenberg. The upper stage began releasing the flight’s 130 payloads about 54 minutes after liftoff.
GHGSat, the Montreal company that tracks methane leaks from orbit, announced the successful launch and deployment of its satellites C-18 and C-19, named Eleanor and Aidan. The pair are named for the children of GHGSat employees. SpaceQ reported that SFL Missions built both in Toronto on its NEMO platform, a satellite bus of about 15 kilograms. They join C-16 and C-17, which deployed on Transporter-17 in July.
“Methane might be invisible to the naked eye, but its reduction has tangible impacts for the planet,” chief executive Stéphane Germain said in the company’s announcement. “I’m proud of how far our constellation has grown since our first launch. That growth translates directly into better data and better outcomes.”
NordSpace flew Terra Nova, its first satellite. NordSpace built it at its Space Systems Lab in Markham, Ont., as a demonstrator for defence and commercial uses. SpaceX’s deployment timeline had it separating about four minutes after the GHGSat pair, manifested by Exolaunch, the Berlin company that prepares and deploys satellites for rideshare customers. NordSpace streamed the launch live, and its team was seen shaking hands, however the company had not yet posted a confirmation of contact with Terra Nova.