Geneva: Vandenberg Space Force Base SpaceX launched a new batch of 81 satellites today, including the South Korean CAS500-4 Earth-observation satellite, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
According to Oman News Agency, the satellites were successfully deployed into their designated orbits, the company said in a statement. The CAS500-4, weighing about 1,100 pounds (500 kilogrammes), will monitor crops, forests and other environmental features as the fourth satellite in the planned five-satellite CAS500 constellation in low Earth orbit.
The Transporter-17 mission marked the 79th Falcon 9 flight of 2026, with 80 percent of this year's launches dedicated to expanding SpaceX's Starlink network - the company's massive internet constellation in low Earth orbit.