A new world record for the number of satellites sent into space has been set on a single rocket.
The record breaks the previous record of 104 satellites carried high by an Indian spacecraft in 2017.
It is another indication of the major structural changes taking place in space activity that are allowing multiple actors to participate.
The shift is the result of a revolution in powerful, compact, low-cost components - many of them taken directly from consumer electronics such as smartphones - and it pretty much means that anyone can now build a capable satellite in a very small package.
And with SpaceX offering to take these packages into orbit for just $ 1 million, commercial opportunities will continue to open up.
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SpaceX itself had 10 satellites on Falcon - the latest addition to the massive Starlink constellation of telecommunications, which will provide broadband internet connections around the world.
Planet San Francisco had the largest number of satellites ever - 48.
This was another set of SuperDove models that depicted the Earth's surface daily at a resolution of 3-5 m. The new spacecraft takes the company's operational fleet now in orbit to more than 200.
Doves are as large as a shoe box. However, many of the other payloads on the Falcon rocket were slightly larger than the coffee cup; Some were even smaller than a paperback.
Swarm Technologies poses what it calls SpaceBees. It is only 10 cm x 10 cm x 2.5 cm.
They will act as a communications node to connect connected devices with all kinds of creatures on Earth, from migratory animals to shipping containers.
Some of the larger elements of the Falcon rocket were the size of a suitcase. Among these satellites are several radars. Radar was one of the main beneficiaries of the revolution in components.
Traditionally, radar satellites have been large multi-tonnage objects costing hundreds of millions of dollars to fly, which basically means that only the military or major space agencies can afford to operate them.
But the introduction of new materials and "ready-to-use" compact parts has significantly reduced the size (to less than 100 kg) and the price of these spacecraft ($ 1 million).
Iceye from Finland, Capella and Umbra in the US, and iQPS from Japan all blasted into orbit on Sunday. These startups are creating constellations in the sky that will recreate fast, repetitive images of the Earth.
Radar has the advantage over standard optical cameras, its ability to penetrate the cloud and sense the surface of the Earth, whether it is day or night. We are entering an era when any change to the planet, wherever it occurs, is detected almost instantly.
Falcon carried 143 satellites onto a 500-kilometer path that stretches from one pole to another. Here's one of the drawbacks of the big flight sharing mission: It goes where the missile goes, and that might not be ideal for some.
A number of satellite missions would require an orbit higher or lower in the sky, or a different inclination to the equator.
This can be achieved by installing satellites on "space locomotives" which, after descending from the top of the missile, adjust the final parameters of their "occupants" over a period of several weeks. On Sunday, the Falcon carried two of these locomotives.
But for some missions, the dedicated flight will be the only satisfactory solution. That's why we're now seeing a rush to produce small rockets that can power custom flights.


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