Transporter-18 SmallSats Encapsulation

On October 1, 2026, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Transporter-18 mission from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The mission deployed various commercial payloads and three NASA-supported small spacecraft into low-Earth orbit at 11:32 a.m. PDT. These spacecraft include the ASCENT Propulsion Dual Mode CubeSat, the Supernova Remnants and Proxies for ReIonization Testbed Experiment (SPRITE) CubeSat, and the Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (SSPICY) mission.