rideshare
Small launch companies don’t foresee price war
Small launch vehicle developers say they don’t see a “race to the bottom” for launch prices despite the large number of companies developing vehicles and the emergence of new rideshare options.
Momentus to offer last-miles service from SpaceX rideshare flights
Momentus purchased rides on five SpaceX Falcon 9 SmallSat Rideshare missions in 2020 and 2021 to showcase the ability of its Vigoride in-space transportation vehicle to move customer satellites 300 to 1,200 kilometers beyond the drop-off point, the Santa Clara, California, company announced March 9.
Opportunities grow for smallsat rideshare launches
SpaceX disclosed new details about its small satellite rideshare efforts Feb. 5 as it, and other programs like it by large launch vehicle operators, put new pricing pressure on small launch vehicle companies.
Exolaunch arranges rides for Spire cubesats on Indian rocket
German launch services provider Exolaunch is arranging to send four Spire Global cubesats into low inclination orbits on an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.
TriSept buys Orbex Prime rocket for rideshare flight
Launch integrator TriSept Corp. announced plans Jan. 14 to buy an Orbex Prime launch vehicle for a dedicated rideshare mission to fly from Scotland’s Sutherland Spaceport in 2022.
Seraphim Capital, Noosphere Ventures invest in D-Orbit
Seraphim Capital and Noosphere Ventures participated in the latest funding round for Italian space company D-Orbit.
Kepler books SpaceX rideshare for LEO satellites
Kepler Communications on Dec. 11 said it booked 400 kilograms of rideshare capacity with SpaceX in order to launch an unspecified number of its Internet of Things cubesat next year.
SpaceX revamps smallsat rideshare program
Less than a month after announcing a new effort to provide low-cost launch services for small satellites, SpaceX says it will increase the number of flight opportunities and reduce the prices it offers.
Spaceflight herded 64 cubesats onto a single Falcon 9 and has the scratch marks to prove it
Large-scale rideshare missions are not without their challenges, both for the launch provider and satellite operators.
Arianespace and SpaceX offering new dedicated rideshare services
Two of the largest commercial launch providers separately announced plans Aug. 5 to provide dedicated launches of small satellites to sun synchronous and geostationary orbits.
Spaceflight looks to more rideshare missions with fewer satellites per launch
After placing more than 60 satellites into orbit on a single Falcon 9 last year, Spaceflight says it will focus on launching smaller numbers of satellites at a time on more launches this year.
Government agencies prepare for piggyback flights, secondary payloads
Ten years after then-U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne called for maximizing use of secondary payload adapters to launch small satellites on large rockets, the Air Force, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are working together to make that happen.
Proposed standard seeks to offer more launch flexibility for smallsats
A proposed standard announced at a conference last week seeks to provide the same launch flexibility for larger smallsats currently enjoyed by cubesats.
Spaceflight gears up for dedicated Falcon 9 launch
Spaceflight announced Aug. 6 that it’s beginning final preparations for a dedicated Falcon 9 launch later this year carrying more than 70 smallsats for a variety of commercial, government and educational customers.
Options grow for smallsats seeking secondary payload opportunities
As the number of small satellites seeking launch continues to grow, new opportunities are emerging fly those satellites as secondary payloads on other launches as well as tools to identify those opportunities.
