Click here to Join L2 Spaceflight was originally planning to launch 13 co-manifested payloads. Ten of those payloads were planned to be deployed by their newly-developed chemical propulsion orbital transfer vehicle (OTV), Sherpa-LTC1. However, during integration of the spacecraft with SpaceX hardware, a propellant leak was discovered from the Sherpa’s propulsion system. There was no damage to the spacecrafts onboard the OTV, but the company decided not the fly it on Transporter-3 out of an abundance of caution. Italy-based launch integration company D-Orbit will launch five CubeSats. Three of them will be launched for Poland-based company SatRevolution, and the other two for Aistech Space and Czech Aerospace Research Center (VZLU). VZLU, in partnership with Spacemanic, will launch the VZLUSAT-2 satellite to verify technologies for a future Czech satellite constellation. Alongside an experimental camera and attitude control systems, there are second-generation devices onboard that have already been tested onboard the VZLUSAT-1 spacecraft, launched back in 2017. This payload was earlier scheduled to be launched onboard Spaceflight’s Sherpa but was then integrated at the last minute as the company teamed up with D-Orbit. Exolaunch, a German launch services company, is also launching payloads for various companies and organizations. ExoLaunch team members pose in front of their payloads prior to final integration and encapsulation within Falcon 9’s payload fairing. (Credit: ExoLaunch) The United Arab Emirates will also be launching their nanosat named DEWASAT-1, which was developed by Dubai’s Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). Other payloads manifested for Transporter-3 include a pair of satellites managed by ISILaunch, two microsats for ICEYE, and multiple payloads from Spire. In total, 105 spacecraft are on board; the identity of every single payload has not been confirmed. Flight Profile Falcon 9 lifted off from SLC-40 and flew a southbound heading along the coast of Florida. The initial trajectory is driven by avoiding overflight of the populated areas of Florida. The first stage’s nine Merlin engines burned for approximately two minutes and 15 seconds. Following stage separation, the second stage’s Merlin Vacuum engine ignited, beginning the six minute long burn toward an initial parking orbit. Meanwhile, the first stage used its attitude control thrusters to perform a flip maneuver before reigniting three Merlin engines for the boostback burn. This burn nullified all of the booster’s horizontal velocity and then placed the stage on a trajectory back towards Landing Zone 1. #Transporter-3 LHAs from SLC-40 NET 13 Jan 15:25 UTC, altern. 14-17 Jan. Booster LZ1 landing. Drop area (red) in case of boostback/SES-1 failure. Fairing recovery north of Cuba ~606km downrange. Dogleg maneuver to SSO azimuth. S2 reentry in Indian Ocean. https://t.co/KEJpIIfF3v pic.twitter.com/m8wR9GjvOz