Thursday, October 1, 2026
SpaceX lofts Google Suncatcher TPU satellite on Transporter-18
A Falcon 9 lifted Transporter-18 from Vandenberg SLC-4E at 2:32 p.m. EDT on Oct. 1, 2026, carrying 130 payloads including Google's Project Suncatcher pathfinder, which tests TPUs in orbit on a Planet Labs satellite. Space.com said the first stage landed at LZ-4 about 7.5 minutes later on its 25th flight, with payload deployments due about 54.5 minutes after liftoff. This was SpaceX's second launch of the day after Crew-13; NROL-97 on Falcon Heavy was still scheduled for 11:53 p.m. EDT.
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