SpaceX rideshare launch puts over 100 smallsats into orbit

SpaceNews reports that 116 small satellites have been launched on the most recent SpaceX rideshare mission on August 16th.  

Customers ranged from government to commercial operators, with the largest single customer being Planet, who launched 36 satellites on the SpaceX mission, which also carried the United Kingdom Space Command's Tyche, its first military satellite.  

Tyche can capture daytime images and videos of the Earth’s surface, and will strengthen the UK’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.   

The launch also carried 2 NASA cubesats and two ESA satellites.  It also marks a significant milestone of over 1,000 satellites now deployed through the SpaceX rideshare program.