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SpaceXFalcon 9 Block 5Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

CAS500-2 & Others

Launched

May 3, 2026 · 07:00 UTC

Launch Successful
CAS500-2 Mission Patch

Image: SpaceX

Summary

CAS500-2 & Others launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 from Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on May 3, 2026 at 07:00 UTC. The launch window ran from 06:59 to 07:36 UTC. It was SpaceX's 673rd launch, 54th this year and humanity's 7,278th orbital launch attempt. It was the 579th Falcon 9 Block 5 flight and the 53rd this year. Booster B1071 flew for the 33rd time and landed at Landing Zone 4. The payload was bound for Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). The tracked orbit of PEARL-1B, one of 45 catalogued objects, from May 8, 2026, was 600 × 608 km inclined 97.7°. 45 objects from this launch are catalogued, all of them payloads.

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Vehicle
Falcon 9 Block 5 · SpaceX
Booster
  • B1071 · flight 33 · Return to Launch Site at Landing Zone 4 · landed35/35 landed here · 50 days after its previous flight, Starlink Group 17-31
Mission
Earth Science · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)
Milestone
579th Falcon 9 Block 5 flight · 53rd this yearSpaceX's 673rd launch54th this yearhumanity's 7,278th orbital launch attempt105th orbital launch attempt this year

Flight preview

Simulate in Flight Club

Orbit: as tracked

97.7°Inclination
600 × 608 kmPerigee × apogeefrom mean elements
96.6 minPeriodfrom mean elements
26.7°Ascending node
160 d agoElement epoch2026-05-08 12:02 UTC · stale

PEARL-1B · NORAD 68980 · 2026-100 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 45 objects

Show the numbers for orbit elements
Object
TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
Object ID
2026-100A
Epoch
2026-05-08 12:02:48 UTC
Mean motion
14.90410873 rev/day
Eccentricity
0.00056554
Inclination
97.7402°
Ascending node
26.683°
Arg. of perigee
282.3578°
Mean anomaly
77.7007°
Element set
999
Rev at epoch
77
B*
0.000098431846

Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: SSO.

Flight timeline

33 steps, T−38 min to T+2 h 30 min
  1. T−38MGO for Prop Load
  2. T−35MStage 1 LOX Load
  3. T−35MProp Load
  4. T−16MStage 2 LOX Load
  5. T−7MEngine Chill
  6. T−1MStartup
  7. T−1MTank Press
  8. T−45SGO for Launch
  9. T−3SIgnition
  10. T−0Liftoff
  11. T+1M5SMax-Q
  12. T+2M15SMECO
  13. T+2M18SStage 2 Separation
  14. T+2M22SStage 1 Flip
  15. T+2M26SSES-1
  16. T+2M31SBooster Boostback Burn Startup
  17. T+3M6SFairing Separation
  18. T+3M26SBooster Boostback Burn Shutdown
  19. T+6M13SEntry Burn Startup
  20. T+6M24SEntry Burn Shutdown
  21. T+7M15SStage 1 Landing Burn
  22. T+7M22SStage 1 Landing
  23. T+8M12SSECO-1
  24. T+54M8SSES-2
  25. T+54M11SSECO-2
  26. T+59M54SPayload Deployment Sequence Start
  27. T+1H22M8SPayload Deployment Sequence End
  28. T+1H36M6SSES-3
  29. T+1H36M7SSECO-3
  30. T+2H13M53SSES-4
  31. T+2H13M54SSECO-4
  32. T+2H22M18SPayload Deployment Sequence Start
  33. T+2H30M46SPayload Deployment Sequence End

Catalogued objects

45 catalogued: 45 payloads; 45 still in orbit

  • PEARL-1B · NORAD 68980 · in orbit
  • IRIDE-MS2-HEO-07 · NORAD 68981 · in orbit
  • IRIDE-MS2-HEO-10 · NORAD 68982 · in orbit
  • IRIDE-MS2-HEO-11 · NORAD 68983 · in orbit
  • IRIDE-MS2-HEO-12 · NORAD 68984 · in orbit
  • IRIDE-MS2-HEO-13 · NORAD 68985 · in orbit
  • IRIDE-MS2-HEO-14 · NORAD 68986 · in orbit
  • IRIDE-MS2-HEO-15 · NORAD 68987 · in orbit
  • Telperion · NORAD 68988 · in orbit
  • BusanSat · NORAD 68989 · in orbit
  • PEARL-1A · NORAD 68990 · in orbit
  • EDC-02 · NORAD 68991 · in orbit
Show 33 more payloads
  • EDC-07 · NORAD 68992 · in orbit
  • EDC-04 · NORAD 68993 · in orbit
  • Nulink-2 · NORAD 68994 · in orbit
  • ICEYE-X78 · NORAD 68995 · in orbit
  • ICEYE-X82 · NORAD 68996 · in orbit
  • EDC-06 · NORAD 68997 · in orbit
  • Sowitasgoht · NORAD 68998 · in orbit
  • Mangoshrikand · NORAD 68999 · in orbit
  • Gemini-Pollux · NORAD 69000 · in orbit
  • Patadastra · NORAD 69001 · in orbit
  • Nulink-1 · NORAD 69002 · in orbit
  • EDC-03 · NORAD 69003 · in orbit
  • Lynk Tower Gen1A-1 · NORAD 69004 · in orbit
  • Lynk Tower Gen1A-2 · NORAD 69005 · in orbit
  • JEN-1 · NORAD 69006 · in orbit
  • BRO-21 · NORAD 69007 · in orbit
  • EDC-05 · NORAD 69008 · in orbit
  • BSLT-3 · NORAD 69009 · in orbit
  • Drishti · NORAD 69010 · in orbit
  • Eycore 1 · NORAD 69011 · in orbit
  • Jackal-0004 · NORAD 69012 · in orbit
  • CAS500-2 · NORAD 69013 · in orbit
  • SNAPPY · NORAD 69014 · in orbit
  • FrontierSat · NORAD 69015 · in orbit
  • RAVEN · NORAD 69016 · in orbit
  • Edda 1 · NORAD 69017 · in orbit
  • Pelican 8 · NORAD 69018 · in orbit
  • Pelican 9 · NORAD 69019 · in orbit
  • Selene · NORAD 69020 · in orbit
  • Helios · NORAD 69021 · in orbit
  • Hydra-3 · NORAD 69022 · in orbit
  • QUBE-II · NORAD 69023 · in orbit
  • Balkan-2 · NORAD 69024 · in orbit

Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org

About this launch

Ride-share of 45 satellites including: * CAS500-2 (KASA, South Korea) The South Korean CAS500-1 and -2 satellites will image the Earth in pan-chromatic and multi-spectral modes using the AEISS-C (Advanced Earth Imaging Sensor System) payload, with a ground resolution of 0.5 m in panchromatic mode and 2 m in color mode. * Pelican-7, 8 & 9 (Planet Labs) Pelican is a constellation of very high resolution imaging satellites, designed and manufactured by Planet Labs. The commercial constellation will consist of 32 SmallSats with potential for further expansion, and aims to provide improved spatial resolution and response times over Planet’s existing SkySat and Dove constellations.

Official page: SpaceX

Pad

Map of Space Launch Complex 4E

Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

265th launch from Space Launch Complex 4E, 27th this year · 881st from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Local pad time at liftoff: May 3, 12:00 AM PDT, at night

303 launches from this pad · 919 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

3 days 4 hours after the previous launch from this pad

All launches from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USAOpen in maps

Updates

Launch success with all payload deployed and main payload in contact (https://x.com/with_kasa/status/2050859729262649817).

Cosmic_Penguin · May 3, 2026 · source

Show 6 earlier updates

  • Liftoff

    hitura-nobad · 5/3/2026 · source

  • New T-0.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 5/3/2026 · source

  • Unofficial Re-stream by SPACE AFFAIRS has started

    LL2 · 5/3/2026 · source

  • Launch time is to the second.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 5/2/2026 · source

  • GO for launch.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 4/24/2026 · source

  • Added launch.

    Cosmic_Penguin · 4/11/2026 · source

Questions

When did CAS500-2 & Others launch?

CAS500-2 & Others launched on May 3, 2026 at 07:00 UTC. The launch window ran from 06:59 to 07:36 UTC.

Where can I watch CAS500-2 & Others?

Coverage: SpaceX CAS500-2 & Others; Live: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from California with 45 payloads on CAS500-2 rideshare mission; CAS500-2 Mission. Watch the replay

What rocket launched CAS500-2 & Others?

Falcon 9 Block 5, flown by SpaceX. Falcon 9 Block 5 spec sheet

Where did CAS500-2 & Others launch from?

Space Launch Complex 4E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA. Liftoff was May 3, 12:00 AM PDT local time at the pad.

Did the booster land?

Booster B1071 flew for the 33rd time and landed at Landing Zone 4.

What orbit did CAS500-2 & Others reach?

The tracked orbit of PEARL-1B, one of 45 catalogued objects, from May 8, 2026, was 600 × 608 km inclined 97.7°.

How many satellites did CAS500-2 & Others launch?

45 payloads from this launch are catalogued, 45 of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).