This Week in Launch: All aboard the SpaceX Bandwagon!

This week SpaceX will be launching as many as four Falcon 9s, mostly for its internal programs like Starlink. One, however, will be for its rideshare program with a new name, Bandwagon. Although Monday’s Starlink mission out of California has potential to be an amazing twilight launch for local residents.

This week’s launches:

• April 1 (Monday)
  • SpaceX | Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 7-18 | 7:30 P.M.
    • SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
• April 2 (Tuesday)
  • CASC | Long March 2C | Unknown Payload | 6:55 P.M. ET
    • LC-3, Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China
• April 4 (Thursday)
  • SpaceX | Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 8-1 | TBD
    • SLC-4E, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
• April 5 (Friday)
  • SpaceX | Falcon 9 | Starling Group 6-47 | 2:14 A.M. ET
    • SLC-40, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida
• April 7 (Sunday)
  • SpaceX | Falcon 9 | Bandwagon-1 | 7:17 P.M. ET
    • LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

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Heads up California! Potential twilight launch incoming

Tonight SpaceX plans to launch a Starlink mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The company has ramped up its launches from the West Coast, getting close to at least one launch every week. This week there will be two.

Monday’s launch has been moved around a lot due to weather or other factors but once again, tonight could be the night. Lifting off at 7:30 P.M. local, 16 minutes after sunset, it has potential to produce what is known as the “twilight phenomenon.”

Usually you’ll want the launch to be closer to 30 minutes after sunset or sunrise (if you’re on the East Coast), but even 16 minutes might make for a beautiful scene. With Vandenberg launches being visible to nearby Los Angeles and sometimes San Diego, these launches usually come with large amounts of social media posts of locals confused as to what they’re seeing.

The twilight phenomenon happens when a rocket launches during darkness on the ground but into sunlight high up in the atmosphere. The particles from the rocket’s exhaust and thrust vector control systems spread out and freeze in the thing upper atmosphere and then begin to reflect light from the Sun. While still dark on the ground, the illuminated particles creates an almost high altitude art show in the sky.

With the need for specific launch times and weather conditions, these launches are rare but are worth seeing if you are in the area.

First SpaceX bandwagon launch for rideshare program

This coming weekend SpaceX’s sole non-Starlink mission of the week will be for its low-cost rideshare program. We’ve come accustomed to the Transporter line of missions to sun-synchronous orbit. However, this mission will be called “Bandwagon-1.”

The “Bandwagon” line of missions were introduced by SpaceX at the SmallSat conference last August. While the Transporter missions fly groups of SmallSats to sun-synchronous orbits, Bandwagon missions will launch to mid-inclination orbits at least twice a year. Allowing more options to potential customers to where they can send their payload.

Between these two services and the ability to tag on to other missions to more unique orbits, SpaceX is continuing to hammer the once believed lucrative SmallSat dedicated launch market with lower prices.