SpaceX is preparing for the Bandwagon-5 mission, scheduled for October 19, 2026, at 13:30 Moscow time. The launch will take place from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with a backup window available on October 20. The company will begin broadcasting the event approximately 15 minutes before liftoff.
The Falcon 9 rocket will carry 32 payloads from various companies, including ICEYE, Tomorrow.io, Capella Space, Planet Labs, Viasat, Varda Space Industries, and Umbra Lab. This mission is part of a rideshare program designed to launch multiple customer satellites simultaneously.
The mission utilizes a first-stage booster on its 19th flight. Its previous missions include Crew-9, RRT-1, Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1, Fram2, SXM-10, MTG-S1, EchoStar XXV, SXM-11, and ten Starlink launches. After separation, the booster is expected to land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship.
Deployment of the payloads is set to begin about an hour after launch following the second engine burn. The satellites will separate sequentially, with the final payload, Starfall, scheduled for deployment approximately 2 hours and 48 minutes after the initial launch.
