SpaceX Falcon 9 boosts record 143 satellites into orbit on "rideshare" mission - CBS News

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket boosted a record 143 small satellites into a polar orbit on Sunday in the company's first dedicated "rideshare" mission, a response to the growing demand for low-cost access to space by smaller, non-traditional companies and institutions.

"No universally accepted 'rules of the road' exist for the safety of space operations, much less a regulatory regime for active risk management and collision avoidance," NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel wrote in its recently released 2020 annual report.

"Excited about offering low-cost access to orbit for small companies!" SpaceX founder Elon Musk tweeted Friday.

Launching many small satellites for a wide range of customers tomorrow.

Excited about offering low-cost access to orbit for small companies.

Rideshare flights are a recent commercial innovation giving companies and institutions relatively quick, affordable access to space they might not otherwise be able to secure.

For example, CubeSats and other small satellites are being launched with increasing frequency, and several companies are now deploying mega-constellations with hundreds, or even thousands, of satellites.".

"Given the recent increase in non-traditional commercial space operations, including satellite servicing, space tourism and the deployment of large numbers of satellites to provide worldwide internet access, updates to the existing roles and responsibilities may be appropriate," the ASAP said

He covered 129 space shuttle missions, every interplanetary flight since Voyager 2's flyby of Neptune and scores of commercial and military launches