The Falcon 9 rocket stands on the launchpad in Florida ahead of liftoff for the Transporter-1 mission. SpaceX
SpaceX launched another rocket into the record books on Sunday with the first mission of its "rideshare" program carrying dozens of small satellites into space.
The Falcon 9 rocket, which took off from Florida's Cape Canaveral, carried 143 spacecraft into orbit — a new global record for the most spacecraft launched at once, and surpassing the mark of 104 set by an Indian PSLV rocket in February 2017.
Called Transporter-1, the SpaceX mission was the first for the company's SmallSat Rideshare program.
While SpaceX advertises a launch on a Falcon 9 dedicated to a single satellite for $62 million, the company's SmallSat Rideshare launches give smaller satellites — as small as the size of a mailbox — an option to orbit for as little as $1 million for 200 kilograms.