SpaceX targets March 30 launch for Transporter-16 rideshare mission carrying 119 payloads

• Photo from SpaceX

SpaceX is aiming to launch its Transporter-16 mission on Monday, March 30, as the company continues to expand access to orbit through its small satellite rideshare program.

The mission will lift off aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, with a targeted launch time of 4:02 a.m. Pacific Time — equivalent to 7:02 p.m. Philippine time. A backup window is available on March 31.

Ahead of the launch, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk highlighted the scale of the mission in a post, saying: “Delivering 119 satellites to orbit at once!”

Musk also pointed to the rocket’s capability, noting that Falcon 9 “can carry ~20 tons to orbit (with a reusable booster & fairing),” describing it as a “heavy” class rocket by conventional standards.

Transporter-16 is part of SpaceX’s ongoing effort to deploy multiple small satellites in a single launch, offering a more cost-efficient pathway for commercial, academic, and government payloads. For this mission, the company confirmed a total of 119 payloads onboard, including cubesats, microsatellites, hosted payloads, and orbital transfer vehicles that will later deploy additional spacecraft.

SpaceX said the first-stage booster assigned to the mission will be making its 12th flight, highlighting the company’s continued push toward reusability to lower launch costs. After stage separation, the booster is expected to land on the droneship “Of Course I Still Love You” positioned in the Pacific Ocean.

A live webcast of the launch is scheduled to begin around 15 minutes before liftoff via SpaceX’s official platforms, including its account on X.

The Transporter series has become a key part of SpaceX’s broader rideshare program, which has already delivered more than 1,600 payloads to orbit to date, underscoring growing global demand for small satellite deployment services.