How to Launch Your Own Satellite: Requirements for Startups and Universities

Yes, you can launch your own satellite. Startups, universities and research institutes do it regularly, mostly as CubeSats on rideshare missions. To get there you need five things: a satellite built to a standard the launch provider accepts, a licence for its radio frequencies, any further national licences your mission requires, the tests and documents the launch provider asks for, and a launch slot. Universities and non-profits can also apply to programmes run by NASA, ESA and the United Nations that support or provide the launch. This guide explains each requirement with the rules that apply in 2026.

Step 1: Build your satellite to a launch standard

Most first satellites are CubeSats, because the format is accepted by many launch providers and dispensers. According to the CubeSat Design Specification (Rev. 14.1), a 1U CubeSat is a 10 cm cube with a mass of up to 2 kg. The specification lists these typical maximum masses:

1U: 2 kg
1.5U: 3 kg
2U: 4 kg
3U: 6 kg
6U: 12 kg
12U: 24 kg

Higher masses may be accepted on a mission-to-mission basis, so check with your dispenser or launch provider early. Satellites that do not fit a dispenser fly on a separation system, for example on a SpaceX rideshare plate. Our guides on CubeSat sizes and standards and CubeSat deployers cover the hardware.

Step 2: License your radio frequencies

Every satellite that transmits needs a frequency authorization. Internationally, the ITU states that filings "should be submitted to the ITU via the national administration" and that small satellites generally follow the procedure for non-geostationary satellite networks not subject to coordination, starting with an advance publication. In practice, you apply to your national regulator, which files with the ITU. Our article on spectrum licensing and ITU filings explains the process.

In the United States, the FCC offers three routes that small satellite teams use:

Streamlined small satellite licence (Part 25): under 47 CFR 25.122, an application can cover ten or fewer satellites. Each satellite must have an in-orbit lifetime of six years or less, be deployed at 600 km or below or carry propulsion for collision avoidance and deorbit, measure at least 10 cm in its smallest dimension and weigh 180 kg or less including propellant.
Experimental licence (Part 5): under 47 CFR 5.64, applicants for experimental satellite systems must describe how they will mitigate orbital debris.
Amateur satellite (Part 97): under 47 CFR 97.207, any amateur station may be a space station, and the licensee must send the FCC a pre-space notification within 30 days after the launch vehicle is determined and no later than 90 days before integration. Frequencies in amateur bands are coordinated through the IARU satellite frequency coordination panel.

Step 3: Check which other licences you need

Depending on your mission and country, more permissions may apply:

Earth imaging: in the United States, operating a private remote sensing space system requires a licence from the Secretary of Commerce under 15 CFR Part 960.
Registration: space objects are registered under the Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space. The SpaceX user's guide, for example, requires customers to pass their licensing and registration duties, including this registration, on to their own customers in writing.
Export control: if your satellite or its components cross borders, export rules apply. See our guide on ITAR and EAR.

The launch licence itself is the launch provider's responsibility. In the United States, launch operators are licensed by the FAA under 14 CFR Part 450; see our article on launch licensing.

Step 4: Plan for debris mitigation and disposal

Regulators and launch providers now expect a plan for the end of your mission. The SpaceX Rideshare Payload User's Guide (Version 11, August 2026) states that all rideshare payloads are expected to follow the FCC rule requiring disposal "as soon as practicable but no later than 5 years after the mission ends". Under the FCC streamlined process, the probability of a collision with any object of 10 cm or larger must be 0.001 or less, and each satellite must be identifiable by a unique telemetry marker. See space debris rules for satellite operators.

Step 5: Test your satellite and prepare the documents

Launch providers require proof that your satellite survives the launch and is safe to handle. The SpaceX user's guide lists, among other deliverables:

an environmental verification report for independently tested CubeSats, using a SpaceX template;
a Spacecraft Declaration of Hazardous Systems and range safety documents following SSCMAN 91-710, starting six months before launch;
a signed payload licensing certification letter before the satellite ships to the launch site;
copies of all required on-orbit licences two months before launch;
registration of all deployed objects with the 18th Space Defense Squadron no later than two months before launch.

Our guide to satellite environmental testing explains the vibration, thermal and vacuum tests behind these reports.

Step 6: Get a launch slot

Commercial teams usually buy a rideshare slot. SpaceX publishes its price: $350,000 for 50 kg to sun-synchronous orbit, plus $7,000 for each additional kilogram. Integrators such as Exolaunch, SEOPS and D-Orbit buy capacity, provide dispensers and manage the launch campaign; see our comparison of launch brokers and rideshare integrators. The next open dates are in our rideshare launch schedule.

Universities and non-profits can apply to programmes that support or provide the launch:

NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI): open to CubeSats built by US educational institutions and non-profit organizations, including museums and science centers. NASA describes it as a "low-cost pathway" to conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations in space. Selected CubeSats fly on ELaNa missions.
ESA Fly Your Satellite!: an educational programme for university and other tertiary student teams from eligible states that develop CubeSats or PocketQubes. ESA supports the teams through testing and verification, and offers a launch opportunity to teams that show the readiness of their satellite and ground segment.
UNOOSA and JAXA KiboCUBE: educational or research institutions from developing countries of United Nations membership can apply to have their CubeSats deployed from the Japanese Kibo module of the International Space Station.
UNOOSA and Exolaunch: as part of UNOOSA's Access to Space for All initiative, the partners awarded fully funded CubeSat launch slots on Exolaunch's EXOpod Nova deployer. In June 2025, institutions from Bolivia, Guatemala, Jordan and Nepal were selected among 17 proposals from 15 countries.
UNOOSA and MBRSC Payload Hosting Initiative (PHI): PHI flies selected payloads on a satellite developed and operated by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, so you do not need a satellite of your own. The third round, PHI-3, is open to universities, research institutions and other eligible organizations until April 6, 2027.

How long does it take?

Plan backwards from the launch date. The SpaceX rideshare timeline starts eight months before launch with the first mission analysis inputs; range safety submissions follow at six, four and two months; you select your deployment orbit five months before launch; and the satellite is delivered to the launch site around 30 days before launch. Satellite design, construction, testing and licensing come before this window. Our step-by-step guide to launching a satellite shows the full project.

FAQ

Can I send my own satellite to space?

Yes. Companies, universities and other organizations can launch their own satellites if they obtain a frequency licence, any other national licences the mission requires, and a launch slot. In the United States, even a licensed amateur radio operator can be the control operator of an amateur space station under 47 CFR 97.207.

How much does it cost to launch your own satellite?

The launch alone starts at $350,000 for 50 kg to sun-synchronous orbit with SpaceX rideshare. Building, testing, licensing and operating the satellite come on top. Our guide on CubeSat launch cost breaks down the numbers.

Can universities launch a satellite through a programme?

Yes. US educational institutions and non-profits can apply to NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative. Student teams from ESA's eligible states can apply to Fly Your Satellite!, and institutions from developing countries can apply to KiboCUBE.

Who gives permission to launch a satellite?

The launch provider holds the launch licence. As satellite operator, you need a frequency authorization from your national regulator, which files with the ITU, plus any national licences for your mission, such as a remote sensing licence for Earth imaging in the United States.

Planning your first satellite? Compare open rideshare missions on the Carrier Space missions page or send a launch request.

Sources

Cover image: A CubeSat designed by Japanese high school and college students is deployed from a small satellite deployer on the Kibo module of the International Space Station, December 9, 2024. Credit: NASA/Butch Wilmore (iss072e352235).