How Much Does It Cost to Launch a CubeSat?
Short answer: There is no public price list for a single CubeSat. CubeSats fly as slots in a dispenser on a larger mission, and the brokers that sell those slots (Exolaunch, D-Orbit and others) quote per mission. What is published is the wholesale price underneath: SpaceX's rideshare price list starts at $350k for a 50 kg booking and charges $7,000 per kilogram for 2026 flights. Under the CubeSat Design Specification a 6U may weigh up to 12 kg, which is $84,000 of launch mass at that rate; the dispenser, integration and broker margin make up the rest of a quote. Selected US universities and education nonprofits can apply to NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative for low-cost access to space.
List and rideshare prices as of 2026-10-11. Figures track the launch cost guide; contract prices vary.
Price by option
| Option | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Smallest SpaceX rideshare booking (50 kg) | $350k | What a broker, or a large customer, buys from SpaceX; CubeSats usually fly as dispenser slots inside such a booking. |
| 1U, 3U, 6U or 12U slot via a broker | Quoted per mission | Brokers publish no CubeSat price list; quotes depend on unit size, orbit, dispenser and deployment options. |
| Launch mass of a 6U at the 12 kg limit | $84,000 | Arithmetic only: 12 kg at SpaceX's $7,000/kg rate. Nobody sells 12 kg directly; it shows how much of a quote is the ride itself. |
| NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative | Low cost (selected teams) | For US educational institutions, education-focused nonprofits and NASA centres; teams fund their own satellites. |
| Dedicated small launcher (Electron), whole rocket | about $9.2M | Rocket Lab publishes no Electron list price. Its launch revenue averaged about $9.2M per launch in the first half of 2026 (Electron and HASTE together). Exact orbit and schedule; far more than most CubeSats need. |
The costs that are not on the price list
- Integration and dispenser fees (often bundled by brokers, not by SpaceX directly).
- Licensing: an FCC experimental or Part 25 licence, a NOAA remote-sensing licence if you carry a camera, and ITU coordination, with weeks to months of lead time and real fees.
- Testing: vibration, thermal-vacuum and dispenser fit checks at a test house.
- Ground station time or a ground-station-as-a-service contract for the mission lifetime.
Frequently asked
What is the cheapest way to launch a CubeSat?
For eligible US teams, NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative offers low-cost access to space (selection does not guarantee a flight, and teams fund their satellites). Commercially, a broker quotes a dispenser slot per mission; no broker publishes a price list.
How much can a CubeSat weigh?
The CubeSat Design Specification (Rev. 14.1, 2022) lists typical maximums of 2 kg for 1U, 6 kg for 3U, 12 kg for 6U and 24 kg for 12U. Earlier revisions limited a 1U to under 1.33 kg.
How far ahead do I need to book?
When we checked SpaceX's rideshare booking site on October 11, 2026, its next open sun-synchronous flights were in June and October 2027. Brokers may have room on flights they booked earlier. Book once mass and volume are frozen.
Run your own numbers
Mass, orbit, vehicle, insurance: the calculator does the delivered-cost math.
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Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. Prices change; dates show when each was published or read.
- SpaceX rideshare price list: $7,000/kg for 2026 flights, $7,500/kg for 2027, 50 kg minimum (SpaceX (rideshare price list behind rideshare.spacex.com), 2026-10-11)
- SpaceX rideshare flights open for booking (next: June and October 2027, sun-synchronous) (SpaceX (rideshare booking site data), 2026-10-11)
- CubeSat Design Specification Rev. 14.1: 1U up to 2.00 kg (Rev. 13: under 1.33 kg) (Cal Poly CubeSat Program (hosted by NASA), 2022-02-09)
- NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative: eligibility and terms (NASA, 2023-08-01)
- Rocket Lab launch revenue averaged $9.2M per launch in the first half of 2026 (Rocket Lab Form 10-Q (six months to June 30, 2026), 2026-08-10)
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