The mission, called Transporter-15, blasted off at 10:44 a.m. local time, or 7:44 p.m. in Poland, after facing multiple delays.  

 

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X that the event was “a great leap into the future” for his country. 

 

Initially scheduled for November 11, the launch was later moved to November 22 and subsequently rescheduled several times, including a halt earlier this week about 15 minutes before liftoff due to technical concerns.  

 

SpaceX did not specify the cause at the time, saying during its webcast that “there are thousands of ways a launch can go wrong, and only one way it can go right,” and that countdowns are paused whenever “anything that looks even slightly off” appears.  

 

The mission is sending 140 payloads and more than 100 satellites into orbit, among them Poland’s MikroSAR radar-imaging satellite built by the ICEYE company and a constellation of three PIAST satellites. 

 

Both the ICEYE and PIAST systems can be used for military and civilian purposes. 

 

ICEYE’s synthetic-aperture radar technology enables continuous observation of strategic areas, including critical infrastructure, the Baltic Sea and Poland’s borders, and can support reconnaissance and damage assessment in wartime. 

 

Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk described the mission earlier this week as a milestone for national defense.  

 

“This event marks a breakthrough moment for Poland’s security and technological independence, opening a new chapter in building national reconnaissance capabilities based on our own satellite systems,” he wrote on X.  

Quelle: TVP WORLD