Image credit: SpaceX 

Last week, our client Spaceflight Inc., the leading global launch services provider, debuted its new Sherpa-AC, the latest variation in the company’s Sherpa orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) portfolio. The Transporter 5 rideshare mission onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral on May 25 and headed to a Sun Synchronous orbit, 525km.

Several hours after liftoff, Spaceflight announced it had contacted its Sherpa-AC vehicle and confirmed the vehicle is operating nominally. Spaceflight successfully delivered all five customer payloads, including two hosted payloads on the Sherpa OTV, to their desired orbital destinations.

Sherpa-AC, named for its “Attitude Control” capabilities, augments Spaceflight’s base free-flying Sherpa with key functionality including a flight computer, attitude knowledge and control, and more, making it ideal for servicing hosted payloads on orbit.

Since the Transporter 5 mission marked the debut launch of the Sherpa-AC, we anticipated questions about the new variation’s features and how it differs from Spaceflight’s other OTVs. We worked closely with the Spaceflight team to develop an FAQ about the Transporter 5 mission and collaborated on the messaging surrounding the Sherpa-AC to ensure it is clear and consistent across Spaceflight’s platforms and announcement materials.

Given the growing demand for both orbital transfers and hosted payload support, it was important to emphasize that the Sherpa-AC is ideal for servicing hosted payloads on orbit, demonstrating Spaceflight’s continued work to provide flexible launch services and innovative hardware so all client payloads can successfully arrive at their final orbital destinations.

To ensure reporters had time to ask questions about the Transporter 5 mission and Sherpa-AC, we offered an opportunity to talk to Curt Blake, CEO and president of Spaceflight. Before the launch, we distributed a media alert to space and technology publications, offering reporters a chance to discuss the launch and the benefits and capabilities of Sherpa-AC with Curt. We also delivered some background information on the Sherpa-AC and an overview of the Transporter 5 mission to provide additional context.

Over the past week, the media has been incredibly intrigued by the Transporter 5 mission, which has led to the below coverage (see below).

Congratulations to the Spaceflight team on another successful mission and the exceptional debut of the Sherpa-AC!

• SpaceNews, SpaceX launches Transporter 5 dedicated smallsat mission, 5/26/22
• Space Watch Global, SpaceX successfully launches Transporter 5 rideshare mission, 5/26/22
• Satellite Evolution, Spaceflight Inc. successfully debuts its latest OTV, Sherpa-AC, 5/26/22
• Mashable, Transporter 5 From SpaceX Launches With Remnants Of 47 People For ‘Space Funeral’, 5/26/22
• AstroSpace, Completata la quinta missione Transporter di SpaceX (SpaceX’s Fifth Transporter Mission Completed), 5/25/2022
• Aviation Week, SpaceX Launches Fifth Rideshare Mission, 5/25/2022
• GeekWire, SpaceX launches 59 payloads, including Spaceflight’s latest orbital tug, 5/25/2022
• NASA Spaceflight, SpaceX launches Falcon 9 on Transporter-5 Rideshare Mission, 5/25/2022
• Space Intelligence 101, SpaceX launching Transporter-5 mission today, 5/25/2022
• Spaceflight Insider, SpaceX Transporter-5 mission orbits dozens of small satellites, 5/25/2022
• Spaceflight Now, Live coverage: SpaceX launches rideshare mission, lands another Falcon booster, 5/25/2022
• SpaceX.com.pl, Start rakiety Falcon 9 z misją Transporter-5 – 25 maja 2022 (Launch of the Falcon 9 rocket with the Transporter-5 mission – May 25, 2022), 5/25/2022
• Via Satellite, SpaceX Launches 59 Spacecraft in Rideshare Mission, 5/25/2022
• SatNews, Spaceflight’s New Sherpa-AC Satellite Servicing Spacecraft Is Being Prepared For Launch, 5/24/2022