Will Robinson-Smith A Falcon 9 rocket stands poised to launch from the Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. File Photo: SpaceX SpaceX will launch 45 payloads on an overnight rideshare mission aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Station early Sunday morning. The mission, dubbed CAS500-2, is named for the primary payload called Compact Advanced Satellite 500-2 from the Korea Aerospace Industries, Ltd. (KAI). It’s the second of two satellites that KAI calls Phase 1 of its CAS500 program, which is designed for “precision ground-based observation.” Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East is scheduled for 11:59 p.m. PDT (2:59 a.m. EDT / 0659 UTC). The rocket will deploy the CAS500-2 satellite into a Sun-synchronous orbit about 60 minutes after launch. “This mission reflects the strength of the U.S.–Republic of Korea alliance and Vandenberg’s enduring role in assuring access to space for our nation, allies and partners,” Space Launch Delta 30 said in a pre-launch statement. “By enabling trusted international partners to place capabilities on orbit, the Vandenberg Spaceport supports peaceful space cooperation, regional stability and a free and open Indo-Pacific.” Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about 30 minutes prior to launch. Falcon 9 first stage booster B1071 will by making its 33rd flight on this mission. It previously launched the SARah-1 satellite for Germany, NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission, five times the National Reconnaissance Office, five SmallSat rideshare missions, and 20 deliveries of Starlink satellites. Less than 7.5 minutes after liftoff, B1071 will target a touchdown at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4), adjacent to the pad it launched from. If successful, this will be the 34th landing at this site and the 608th booster landing for SpaceX to date. According to Korea JoongAng Daily, a South Korean publication, the CAS500-2 satellite was originally scheduled to launch in 2022 on a Russian rocket, but the mission faced years of delays due to Russia’s war against Ukraine. “Additional delays occurred after SpaceX changed plans for a joint launch with another satellite, resulting in a separate launch,” reporter Yoon Seung-Jin wrote. “As a result, CAS500-2 will launch later than CAS500-3, which was sent into space aboard Korea’s Nuri rocket in November last year.” CAS500-4 and CAS500-5 round out Phase 2 of KAI’s CAS500 program. Those satellites were slated to launch in 2025, but a new launch date for those has not been announced. An artist’s rendering of the CAS500-1 and CAS500-2 satellites. Graphic: KARI Along for the ride The Falcon 9 rocket carries with it a series of 44 other payloads manifested by multiple partners. The vast majority of the satellites were manifested by Exolaunch, using a variety of deployment mechanisms. The company is responsible for deploying 21 CubeSats and 18 MicroSats across two deployment sequences. The first batch of satellites will be released beginning about an hour and 16 minutes after liftoff, over a period of six minutes, and the second batch about two hours and 22 minutes after liftoff, in a sequence lasting about eight minutes. “This mission reflects how Exolaunch is scaling alongside growing launch demand,” said Jeanne Allarie, chief investor relations officer at Exolaunch, in statement. “As we quickly expand the number of missions we support each year, we’re strengthening our sales pipeline and deepening collaboration with SpaceX to deliver consistent, reliable access to orbit for our global customers.” We are delighted to continue our collaboration with @AistechSpace, ready to deploy their Hydra-3 satellite developed together with @EnduroSat, aboard @SpaceX’s CAS500-2 rideshare mission 🚀 🔗 Watch the full manifest: https://t.co/PnoEzhqPJz pic.twitter.com/KDUP1RbUDM