SpaceX launches the Bandwagon-4 mission early on Nov. 2. Photo: SpaceX

SpaceX’s fourth Bandwagon mission over the weekend launched 18 payloads to orbit. The mission was launched early Sunday morning at 1:09 a.m. ET on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. 

The Bandwagon mission series differs from the Transporter rideshare missions because it launches satellites to mid-inclination orbit, while the Transporter missions launch to a Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO).

Vast launched its Haven Demo on the mission, which will test many of Vast’s systems to inform its first commercial space station, Haven-1, which is set to launch next year. Vast confirmed after the launch that deployment was successful and the spacecraft is generating power from its solar arrays. 

The mission included three synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites for Space42 through a collaboration with Iceye. These three satellites — Foresight-3, 4, and 5 — were the first satellites to go through assembly, integration, and testing (AIT) in the United Arab Emirates under the partnership with Iceye.

Exolaunch deployed the Iceye satellites, deploying 13 of the satellites on the mission. Exolaunch also deployed a satellite for Turkish company Fergani Space; one satellite for Spire; four “Taurus” IoT satellites for Turkish company Gumush Aerospace; and CevroSat-1, a microsatellite for Czech company ČVC Electronic. 

Exolaunch also deployed four satellites — SEMI-1 through SEMI-4, for an unnamed customer. 

Korea’s Agency for Defense Development (ADD) launched the fourth SAR satellite in the Korea 425 Project constellation. 

And weather technology company Tomorrow.io had two satellites on the mission. Both ADD and Tomorrow.io were on the previous Bandwagon mission in April.