The second sonic boom of the day echoed across Florida’s Space Coast on April 21 as a Falcon 9 booster safely returned to Cape Canaveral after lifting off with the Bandwagon-3 rideshare mission, SpaceX’s third such launch offering small satellite deployment services.
The evening liftoff at 8:48 pm ET from Space Launch Complex 40 marked the second Falcon 9 launch of the day, following the morning’s CRS-32 cargo mission to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center.
Within just hours, SpaceX demonstrated its increasing launch cadence and versatility.
Bandwagon-3 carried three commercial payloads: 425Sat-3 from South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development (ADD), Tomorrow-S7 by Tomorrow Companies Inc, and the Phoenix 1 reentry capsule built by German firm Atmos Space Cargo.
These missions reflect the growing appeal of SpaceX’s rideshare services, which offer cost-effective access to orbit for small payloads without requiring full rocket bookings.
According to Space.com, Phoenix 1 is the first reentry capsule ever launched by a European company. It aims to test an inflatable atmospheric decelerator during its return journey, expected to splash down in the Atlantic roughly 1,200 miles off Brazil’s coast after a single orbit.
Atmos Space Cargo called the mission a step toward “revolutionising space logistics” and enabling “microgravity research, in-orbit manufacturing, defense applications and life sciences.”
Meanwhile, Tomorrow Companies Inc. is developing a satellite constellation using AI and data to improve global weather resilience. Its Tomorrow-S7 payload is part of that initiative. The specifics of its mission remain closely held, reported Fox 35 Orlando.
425Sat-3 forms part of South Korea’s broader 425 Project, which strengthens the country’s military surveillance capabilities.
After payload deployment, the Falcon 9’s first-stage booster, flying for the third time after previously launching SES’s O3b mPOWER-E and Nasa’s Crew-10, returned to Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral, triggering a sonic boom that was heard across nearby areas, reported Florida Today.
The Bandwagon series began in April 2024 and has since expanded SpaceX’s ability to serve a variety of clients.
To date, the company has launched over 1,130 small satellites for 130 customers under its rideshare program. SpaceX also operates a separate Transporter line of rideshare missions, which began in 2021 and still holds the single-launch record of 143 satellites.
The next SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral is scheduled for no earlier than April 24 at 9:32 pm (local time), carrying Starlink 6-74 internet satellites.
United Launch Alliance’s Amazon Kuiper mission is also slated for liftoff from the Cape no earlier than April 28.