SpaceX launched into space a satellite that Russia was supposed to launch
The American company SpaceX has launched a satellite into orbit that Russia had originally planned to launch back in 2022. Those plans were derailed by the war, but the satellite has now reached space. This was reported by Yonhap.
SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket on Sunday. The launch took place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 09:59 Kyiv time. There were 45 satellites on board. One of them was the South Korean CAS500-2, built by Korea Aerospace Industries. It was this satellite that became the main focus of the mission.
Watch Falcon 9 launch the CAS500-2 mission to orbit https://t.co/OvvBLwYwsw
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 3, 2026
This satellite was originally scheduled to launch in 2022 on a Russian Soyuz rocket. But after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, those plans fell through. Now the spacecraft is finally in space. It was placed into low Earth orbit along with the other satellites.
CAS500-2 was designed for practical applications. It will help monitor natural disasters and analyze the state of agriculture. Thus, the launch, which had been postponed due to the war, did take place—but with the participation of an American company.
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