NASA Launches Three SmallSat Missions on Transporter-18 Rideshare

Three NASA-supported small satellite missions launched on October 1 aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9 departed Space Launch Complex 4 East at 11:32 a.m. Pacific time.

ASCENT will demonstrate propulsion using a shared low-toxicity propellant for chemical and electrospray systems. SPRITE, developed with the University of Colorado Boulder, will conduct ultraviolet science.

The SSPICY mission uses Starfish Space’s Otter spacecraft to inspect up to four inactive U.S. satellites. NASA says inspections are expected to begin in 2027, with the mission lasting approximately two years. Launch is the starting milestone; the demonstrations and inspections remain ahead.

Infraday analysis

Rideshare missions place compact spacecraft into orbit while drawing on a wider infrastructure chain of payload preparation, launch integration and ground operations. The operational results of these missions could inform future spacecraft servicing and propulsion choices. For infrastructure audiences, the development to track is the transition from a successful launch to demonstrated capabilities in orbit.

Source: NASA mission update, October 1, 2026.

Featured photograph: ASCENT Propulsion Dual Mode flight-hardware testing at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. NASA photograph released with its September 25, 2026 testing update; launch is not pictured. Photo: NASA / Charles Beason. Public domain. Image may be resized or cropped for display.