SpaceX Transporter-18 Mission Set to Launch Thursday from Vandenberg

A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch the Transporter-18 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Thursday, October 1, between 11:18 a.m. and 12:16 p.m. Pacific Time. A backup 58-minute launch window is available Friday, October 2, at the same time if needed.

The mission will carry 130 separate payloads destined for low-Earth, sun-synchronous orbit. One of the key payloads is Carbon Mapper's Tanager-2, a satellite designed to help the non-profit consortium monitor methane and CO₂ emissions globally. Tanager-1, which launched from Vandenberg in August 2024, has already identified over 15,000 plumes from more than 5,000 unique sources. Tanager-2 is expected to roughly double the revisit frequency of observations.

California Methane Monitoring

Tanager-1 observations have been used to create the California Satellite Methane Project, the first state-led program using this data to monitor methane and other emissions. Carbon Mapper worked with the California Air Resources Board to publish findings on a public portal. Mitigations in the oil and natural gas sector based on Tanager-1 observations have already prevented 7.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from entering the atmosphere.

The payload also includes two spacecraft with reentry vehicles and four orbital transfer vehicles carrying 41 payloads that will be deployed later. Following first-stage separation, the booster will return to land at Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg. Residents may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, depending on weather conditions. This will be the 25th flight for this particular Falcon 9 booster.

A live webcast will begin about 15 minutes before liftoff on SpaceX's platforms. For more space news from Vandenberg, visit /news.

Facts via KEYT.