---
title: "Private Spacecraft Lost in Accident After SpaceX Launch"
description: "A space tug that launched on a SpaceX rideshare mission on June 12 started spinning uncontrollably after being deployed."
date: "2023-06-27"
modified: "2023-06-27"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/private-spacecraft-lost-spacex-launch"
categories:
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
tags:
  - "launcher"
  - "space tug"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "the digest"
---

# Private Spacecraft Lost in Accident After SpaceX Launch

![A space tug that launched on a SpaceX rideshare mission on June 12 started spinning uncontrollably after being deployed.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/private-spacecraft-lost-spacex-launch.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Launcher\</em\>*

## Spin Cycle

A space tug that launched on a SpaceX rideshare mission on June 12 started spinning uncontrollably after being deployed, causing its owner Launcher to lose yet another one of its vehicles.

The spacecraft, dubbed Orbiter SN3, which was designed to carry small satellites into their proper orbit after launch, failed to charge its batteries with its solar panels due to its rapid spin, Launcher explained in a [statement](<https://www.launcherspace.com/updates/orbiter-sn3-mission-update>).

It's yet another setback for Launcher. SN3 is the followup to Launcher's first spacecraft, called SN1, which was also lost after its launch back in February 2023 following a similar orientation control issue, as [*Space.com* reports](<https://www.space.com/orbiter-sn3-space-tug-lost-spacex>).

## Payload Lost

Unfortunately, Orbiter SN3 also carried the payloads of three other customers. Due to its spin, Launcher let the payloads go early, causing its primary payload, an on-orbit docking demonstration by space startup Otter Pup, to start spinning as well.

On the plus side, Launcher says it's identified the issue with SN3 and is ready to make some changes to try again with SN5, which is slated to launch on a SpaceX rideshare mission in February 2024.

"The anomaly appears to be software in nature," the company wrote in its statement. "We have begun the implementation of corrective action to ensure this anomaly does not occur again on future missions and that the vehicle is more robust to this type of error."

**More on SpaceX rideshare missions:** *[Asteroid Mining Startup About to Launch First Mission](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/asteroid-mining-startup-launching-first-mission>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)