KOSMOLAB Intelligence · launch index
Rideshare & Small Launch Price Index
What getting a small satellite to orbit actually costs — published prices only, every figure with a source and an as-of date, refreshed quarterly. Paired with live upcoming rideshare opportunities from our launch catalogue.
Published prices — Q3 2026
| Provider | Offer | Price | Basis | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceX | Rideshare Program (Transporter / Bandwagon) | $6,500/kg | published online booking rate, SSO, min 50 kg | 2026-01 | www.spacex.com ↗ |
| Rocket Lab | Electron — dedicated small launch | $25,000/kg (effective) | effective: ~$7.5M publicly stated mission price / ~300 kg to SSO | 2025 | www.rocketlabusa.com ↗ |
| Firefly Aerospace | Alpha — dedicated launch | $14,600/kg (effective) | effective: ~$15M publicly stated price / 1,030 kg to LEO | 2025 | fireflyspace.com ↗ |
Most launch brokers and integrators (Exolaunch, ISILaunch, SEOPS and others) price on request — the RFQ route below reaches them directly.
SpaceX published rideshare rate over time, $/kg to SSO
Published booking rates as listed on spacex.com/rideshare at each date (minimum booking mass changed over the period). The often-quoted downward “price per kg” trend applies to bulk launch capacity; published smallsat rideshare list rates have been slowly rising.
Get real quotes for your payload
List prices are the ceiling, not the floor: actual rideshare pricing depends on mass, volume, orbit and integration scope. Describe your payload once — the matchmaker finds compatible windows and sends your request to the providers behind them.
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