SpaceX Rideshare Price per kg by Year: Official Prices 2023 to 2027

SpaceX rideshare costs $7,500 per kilogram for 2027, up from $5,500 in 2023. SpaceX publishes one price per kilogram for each year in the price configuration of its rideshare booking tool: $5,500 for 2023, $6,000 for 2024, $6,500 for 2025, $7,000 for 2026 and $7,500 for 2027. On top of that come minimum masses per plate size, which set the real entry price, and optional services such as a separation system or fueling at the launch site, which also rise every year. This guide shows the official figures, what they mean for a CubeSat or a microsatellite and how to read a SpaceX quote correctly.

The official price per kg, year by year

The figures below come from the public price configuration of the SpaceX rideshare booking tool (api-rideshare.spacex.com, retrieved on 19 October 2026). SpaceX itself refers to its rideshare page for pricing in the Rideshare Payload User's Guide (Version 11, August 2026, section 1.4).

2023: $5,500 per kg
2024: $6,000 per kg
2025: $6,500 per kg
2026: $7,000 per kg
2027: $7,500 per kg

The price rises by $500 per kg each year. Between 2023 and 2027 that is an increase of about 36 percent. The table ends in 2027; SpaceX does not publish a price for later years in the tool.

Which year's price applies to you

The year in the table is the payment year, not automatically the year you book. In the SpaceX booking tool, the price is calculated with the current year's prices if you choose to pay up front. If you do not pay up front and select a flight, the tool uses the prices of the launch year. The tool states this under the price: it is "calculated using" the prices of that year "for both payload mass and any selected addons".

In practice this means: a satellite booked in 2026 for an SSO flight in 2027 is priced at $7,000 per kg if paid up front and at $7,500 per kg if paid on the standard schedule. For a 100 kg satellite, the difference is $50,000. Our own conclusion from this: when you compare offers, always ask which payment year a quote is based on.

Minimum masses: the real entry price

SpaceX charges at least a minimum mass per plate size. If your satellite is lighter, you pay for the minimum. The price configuration lists these values:

Quarter plate: minimum 50 kg, maximum 300 kg
Half plate: minimum 100 kg, maximum 452 kg
Full plate: minimum 200 kg, maximum 831 kg
XL plate: minimum 300 kg, maximum 831 kg

The booking tool also maps the mechanical interface to a plate: a 15 inch interface is priced at least like a full plate and a 24 inch interface at least like an XL plate. If no plate is selected, the 50 kg minimum applies.

Multiplied with the per kg price, this gives the following minimum launch prices (our own calculation from the official figures):

Quarter plate, 50 kg: $275,000 (2023), $350,000 (2026), $375,000 (2027)
Half plate, 100 kg: $550,000 (2023), $700,000 (2026), $750,000 (2027)
Full plate, 200 kg: $1,100,000 (2023), $1,400,000 (2026), $1,500,000 (2027)
XL plate, 300 kg: $1,650,000 (2023), $2,100,000 (2026), $2,250,000 (2027)

What this means for CubeSats and small satellites

For light payloads, the minimum mass matters more than the per kg price. A CubeSat dispenser with 30 kg booked directly with SpaceX is still billed at 50 kg, so $375,000 at 2027 prices. That is an effective $12,500 per kg actually flown. The user's guide treats an integrated CubeSat dispenser assembly as one payload that can hold several CubeSats, which is why dispensers are usually shared. Our conclusion: for a single 3U or 6U CubeSat, a slot in a shared dispenser through an integrator is usually the better route than booking SpaceX directly. How that works is explained in our guide to CubeSat launch cost.

From around 50 kg, the published price becomes directly usable for budgeting. A 75 kg microsatellite on a quarter plate costs $562,500 at 2027 prices, a 150 kg satellite on a half plate $1,125,000. These are launch prices for mass only, before optional services.

Optional services and their prices by year

SpaceX lists optional services in Appendix I of the Rideshare Payload User's Guide "for an additional cost above the baseline pricing". The booking tool shows prices for some of them, again by year:

Separation system 8 inch: $253,000 (2023), $278,300 (2024), $306,150 (2025), $336,800 (2026), $370,500 (2027)
Separation system 15 inch: $308,800 (2023), $338,800 (2024), $372,700 (2025), $409,970 (2026), $451,000 (2027)
Separation system 24 inch: $473,000 (2023), $520,300 (2024), $572,350 (2025), $629,600 (2026), $692,600 (2027)
Fueling at the launch site: $38,500 (2023), $42,350 (2024), $44,800 (2025), $49,300 (2026), $54,250 (2027), including one additional day of processing
Mechanical interface adapter, electrical connectivity on the pad, additional deployment channels: price on request from the SpaceX sales team
Launch-only insurance: optional, for the payload and the cost of launch, with a maximum insurable amount of $2 million

A separation system can cost almost as much as the launch itself for a small satellite. SpaceX also notes in the user's guide that a separation system procured through SpaceX needs at least six months of lead time. If you bring your own separation system or get it through an integrator, check that it matches the 8, 15 or 24 inch interfaces SpaceX supports. Fueling with SCAPE operations is not covered by the listed price; SpaceX asks customers to contact sales for that.

Deposit and booking

A reservation request through the SpaceX tool requires a deposit. According to the tool, deposits "cover the cost of processing and validating requests for reservations", and if SpaceX approves the request, the deposit is applied towards the total launch price. The formal contract is the Launch Services Agreement; the user's guide is an applicable document to it.

The booking tool currently lists two sun-synchronous flights, with target dates in June 2027 and October 2027, both at 500 to 600 km (API retrieved on 19 October 2026). The typical SpaceX rideshare schedule starts about eight months before launch with mission analysis inputs, so the June 2027 flight is already close to that window. More on timing in our guide to satellite launch lead times.

How to use these prices in a budget

Pick the payment year first: check whether you can pay up front and which year's price that locks in.
Apply the minimum mass: use the higher of your actual mass and the plate minimum.
Add the interface: a 15 or 24 inch interface moves you to the full or XL plate minimum.
Add optional services: separation system, fueling and adapters at the price of the same payment year.
Keep a margin for mass growth: every additional kilogram costs the full per kg price of that year.
Compare with integrators: for payloads under 50 kg, a shared plate through an integrator is often the better option; ask for at least two quotes.

FAQ

How much does SpaceX rideshare cost per kg in 2027?

$7,500 per kg, according to the price configuration of the SpaceX booking tool. The minimum is 50 kg, so the lowest price for a 2027 payment year is $375,000.

How much did SpaceX rideshare cost in 2023?

$5,500 per kg. With the 50 kg minimum, the entry price was $275,000.

Why does the price depend on the payment year?

The SpaceX tool prices a booking with the current year's prices if you pay up front and with the launch year's prices otherwise. Paying up front can therefore lock in a lower per kg price.

What is the minimum mass for SpaceX rideshare?

50 kg for a quarter plate, 100 kg for a half plate, 200 kg for a full plate and 300 kg for an XL plate. Lighter payloads are billed at the minimum.

Is the separation system included in the price?

No. A separation system is an optional service. Bought through SpaceX it costs between $370,500 and $692,600 at 2027 prices, depending on size, and needs at least six months of lead time.

Do other launch providers publish prices per kg?

Most do not. Among the providers we track, SpaceX is the only one with a public price per kg for rideshare. Other providers and brokers quote on request, which is why comparing several offers matters.

Compare rideshare offers on Carrier Space

The SpaceX price is a good reference, but it is only one option. On Carrier Space you can compare launch providers, brokers, launch vehicles and scheduled missions, including Falcon 9 and the SpaceX provider profile. One inquiry goes to up to five providers and brokers you pick, and the offers come back in one comparable view. Free for customers, paid by providers.

Sources

Cover image: NASA astronaut Frank Rubio installs the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer inside the airlock of the Kibo laboratory module aboard the International Space Station on 20 April 2023. Credit: NASA (iss069e004397)