SpaceX launched its third mid-inclination dedicated rideshare mission, Bandwagon-3, on April 21 from Cape Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40. The Falcon 9 rocket carried only three payloads to space: the 425Sat-3 spacecraft for South Korea’s military, Tomorrow-S7 for weather forecasting company Tomorrow.io, and Phoenix, a reentry vehicle by ATMOS Space Cargo.
The low number of payloads on this mission is attributed to modest demand for mid-inclination orbits. The Bandwagon series was designed to meet demand, but the timing of this launch, just four months after Bandwagon-2, likely contributed to the lack of rideshare missions.
SpaceX has a multi-launch contract with South Korea’s military for deploying five reconnaissance satellites under Project 425. This project is linked to three of the Bandwagon missions, and the company plans to perform at least four launches in total.
The launch industry has raised concerns that SpaceX’s rideshare missions are undercutting demand for small launch vehicles by offering lower prices. However, Rocket Lab’s CEO Peter Beck argues that dedicated small launch is a distinct market from rideshare, stating that customers may initially use rideshare launches and then turn to dedicated providers like Rocket Lab for operational constellations.
SpaceX has not announced plans for future Bandwagon missions beyond the fourth launch scheduled for later this year. The company’s upcoming schedule does not list any mid-inclination orbits, leading some to question the viability of the Bandwagon program.
Source: https://spacenews.com/spacex-launches-third-mid-inclination-rideshare-mission