SpaceX early Tuesday launched 81 payloads into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, marking the company's 17th dedicated Transporter rideshare mission and another step in its expanding commercial launch program, Space.com reported.

The Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 3:12 a.m. ET carrying a mix of cubesats, microsatellites, hosted payloads, and orbital transfer vehicles on the Transporter-17 mission.

According to SpaceX, the mission's manifest includes 81 payloads, with orbital transfer vehicles carrying eight satellites that will be deployed later after reaching orbit.

The largest spacecraft aboard the mission was South Korea's CAS500-4 Earth observation satellite, which weighs about 1,100 pounds.

The satellite is the fourth member of South Korea's planned five-satellite Compact Advanced Satellite 500 constellation in low Earth orbit and is designed to help monitor crops, forests and other environmental conditions.

About 8½ minutes after liftoff, the Falcon 9's first-stage booster successfully landed on the SpaceX droneship Of Course I Still Love You stationed in the Pacific Ocean. The landing marked the 11th flight and recovery for the reusable booster.

Meanwhile, the rocket's upper stage continued toward low Earth orbit, with satellite deployments scheduled to begin about 50 minutes after launch.

Transporter-17 is the latest mission in SpaceX's dedicated rideshare program, which offers multiple customers the opportunity to launch satellites on a single Falcon 9 flight. The company also operates its Bandwagon rideshare series, which has completed four missions.

Including Tuesday's launch, the previous 20 Transporter and Bandwagon missions have delivered more than 1,800 payloads to orbit. The inaugural Transporter mission in January 2021 set a single-launch record by carrying 143 payloads into space.

Tuesday's mission was SpaceX's 79th Falcon 9 launch of 2026. The company has devoted nearly 80% of its Falcon 9 launches this year to expanding its Starlink broadband satellite constellation in low Earth orbit while continuing to support commercial, government, and international customers through its rideshare program.