How to Launch a CubeSat: Step by Step from Design to Orbit

To launch a CubeSat, you build it to the CubeSat Design Specification, secure a ride in a CubeSat dispenser on a rideshare mission (bought commercially or won through a program such as NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative), obtain your radio and, if needed, remote sensing licences, pass the launch provider's verification tests, deliver the satellite weeks before launch and then find and operate it in orbit. NASA's CubeSat 101 guide says a CubeSat can be designed, built, tested and delivered in as little as 9 months, but typically takes 18 to 24 months.

This guide walks through each step in order, with the deadlines that launch providers and regulators actually publish. For the money side, see our separate guide to CubeSat launch costs.

Step 1: Define the mission and the form factor

Start with what the satellite must do, then choose a size. The CubeSat Design Specification (CDS), maintained by the CubeSat program at Cal Poly, is the common standard; its current release, Revision 14.1 from February 2022, covers sizes from 1U to 12U. Dispensers and launch providers build their interfaces around it, so staying inside the CDS keeps the most launch options open.

NASA's CubeSat 101 lists the typical durations of the early phases:

Concept development: 1 to 6 months
Securing funding: 1 to 12 months
Merit and feasibility reviews: 1 to 2 months
CubeSat design: 1 to 6 months

NASA also notes that the more flexible your orbital requirements are, the easier it is to find a launch and the shorter the wait. Decide early which orbits are acceptable, not just which one is ideal. Our overview of CubeSat sizes and standards explains the formats in more detail.

Step 2: Choose a route to orbit

A CubeSat almost never flies alone. It rides in a dispenser that is mounted on a larger rocket together with other payloads. There are three common routes:

Commercial rideshare, booked directly: SpaceX sells rideshare slots on Falcon 9 and accepts CubeSat dispensers. In its Rideshare Payload User's Guide (Version 11, August 2026), a CubeSat payload is an "Integrated CubeSat Dispenser Assembly" with a single mechanical interface to the rocket, which may contain one or several dispensers.
Through an integrator or broker: integrators buy capacity, supply the dispenser and handle the paperwork with the launch provider. SpaceX states that rideshare launch services are available via direct contract and through certain managed procurement services. See our comparison of launch brokers and rideshare integrators.
Through a funded program: NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) offers launch opportunities for CubeSats built by U.S. educational institutions and non-profit organizations, including museums and science centers. NASA says its announcement is typically released each August, with proposals due in November, and that CSLI has launched over 150 CubeSats.

You can compare current missions and vehicles on the Carrier Space mission list and in the vehicle database.

Step 3: Sign the contract and lock the schedule

Once a slot is reserved, the launch provider's milestones drive your schedule. SpaceX's typical rideshare schedule, counted back from launch (L), looks like this:

L-8 months: mission integration analysis inputs due
L-6 months: first range safety submissions due
L-5 months: orbit selection from the list of available orbit parameters for the mission
L-3.5 months: final mission analysis inputs due
L-2 months: mission analysis completed, final range safety submissions due, and registration of all deployed objects with the U.S. Space Force's 18th Space Defense Squadron
About L-1 month: launch campaign readiness review

SpaceX notes that late submissions of some documents may require rebooking. Our guide on how to book a rideshare launch slot covers the reservation process itself.

Step 4: Start licensing early

NASA's CubeSat 101 budgets 4 to 6 months for regulatory licensing, and the operator is responsible for it. For U.S. operators, the main pieces are:

Radio licence from the FCC: amateur satellites fall under 47 CFR Part 97. The licensee must file a pre-space notification within 30 days after the launch vehicle is determined, and no later than 90 days before the satellite is integrated into the launch vehicle. Commercial systems of up to ten satellites can use the FCC's streamlined small satellite process in 47 CFR 25.122, which requires, among other things, an in-orbit lifetime of six years or less and deployment at or below 600 km unless the satellite has propulsion for collision avoidance and deorbit.
Frequency coordination: for amateur missions, CubeSat 101 advises sending a coordination request to the International Amateur Radio Union immediately after the CubeSat is manifested, if not earlier.
Remote sensing licence from NOAA: if the satellite can image the Earth, check with NOAA, which licenses private remote sensing systems under 15 CFR Part 960. NOAA must decide within 60 days of notifying the applicant that the application is complete.
Licence certification to the launch provider: SpaceX requires a signed letter certifying that all required licences have been obtained.

Operators outside the U.S. follow their national space and spectrum authorities instead; the steps are similar, but the agencies differ. Export rules also apply when hardware crosses borders, see our explainer on ITAR and EAR.

Step 5: Build and test to the launch provider's levels

CubeSat 101 allows 2 to 12 months each for hardware fabrication and testing and for ground station design, development and testing. The launch provider sets the test levels. SpaceX's guide defines separate test levels for fully containerized CubeSat units and requires a documented environmental test approach. The guide also specifies the flight environments, such as random vibration and shock, that the payload must withstand. Our article on thermal vacuum testing explains another common test.

The CubeSat is then integrated into its dispenser and tested again as a unit. The dispenser options are covered in our guide to CubeSat deployers and separation systems.

Step 6: Deliver to the launch site

According to CubeSat 101, launch vehicles usually require the finished CubeSat between 4 weeks and 6 months before launch, depending on the provider. For SpaceX rideshare, the customer delivers the payload and ground support equipment no more than eight weeks before the launch date unless SpaceX requests otherwise, and SpaceX states that payloads are received at the launch site around L-30 days. The customer is responsible for shipping and for any customs clearances. SpaceX then mates the payload to the launch vehicle hardware and encapsulates it in the fairing.

Step 7: Launch, contact and operate

After separation, SpaceX provides a best-estimate separation state vector, but the customer is responsible for tracking and contacting the satellite. SpaceX also asks operators to publish ephemerides, ideally within 3 hours of deployment and at least three times per day, to speed up cataloging. Finally, SpaceX expects all rideshare payloads to follow the FCC rule that requires disposal as soon as practicable and no later than 5 years after the mission ends.

FAQ

How long does it take to launch a CubeSat?

NASA's CubeSat 101 says a CubeSat can be designed, built, tested and delivered in as little as 9 months, but typically takes 18 to 24 months. After the satellite is ready, the wait for a launch can range from a few months to a few years, depending on launch availability and orbit flexibility.

Can a university or student team launch a CubeSat?

Yes. U.S. educational institutions and non-profit organizations can apply to NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, whose announcement is typically released each August. Teams elsewhere usually buy a slot through an integrator or a national program. Our guide on launching your own satellite covers the requirements.

Do I need a licence to launch a CubeSat?

Yes. Every satellite that transmits needs a radio licence, and U.S. satellites that can image the Earth may also need a NOAA remote sensing licence. SpaceX requires customers to certify in writing that all required licences are in place.

What is the largest CubeSat size?

The current CubeSat Design Specification, Revision 14.1, covers sizes up to 12U.

Who tracks my CubeSat after deployment?

The operator. The launch provider hands over a separation state vector, and the operator registers the satellite with the 18th Space Defense Squadron before launch, then establishes contact through its own ground stations.

Planning a CubeSat mission? Compare launch vehicles and providers on Carrier Space, or send your requirements through a free request.

Sources

Cover image: A set of NanoRacks CubeSats photographed by an Expedition 38 crew member after deployment by the Small Satellite Orbital Deployer from the International Space Station, 11 February 2014. Credit: NASA (ISS038-E-044916).