What if everyone chipped in for a rocket launch?
Calculate and compare the cost of launching payloads to orbit — from small cubesats sharing a rideshare slot to dedicated launches for large satellites. See how price-per-kg has fallen 95% since the Space Shuttle era. Enter your payload mass and desired orbit, and compare costs across Falcon 9, Electron, ISRO PSLV, Ariane 6, and rideshare options. Includes per-kg pricing and total mission cost.
💡 The Space Shuttle cost roughly $54,500 per kg to LEO. A Falcon 9 rideshare today costs around $2,720 per kg — a 95% cost reduction in 20 years.
On a reusable Falcon 9 rideshare, payload to Low Earth Orbit costs about $2,720 per kg. Dedicated Falcon 9 launches are roughly $3,000 per kg, and Starship is targeting under $200 per kg once fully reusable. The retired Space Shuttle cost more than $54,000 per kg, so launch prices have fallen by about 95% over 20 years.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 Transporter rideshare missions are the cheapest currently flying, at around $5,500 per kg for small payloads. India's ISRO PSLV and China's Long March 5 are competitive on price for institutional customers. Once operational, SpaceX Starship and Blue Origin New Glenn are projected to be even cheaper.
A standard Falcon 9 launch lists at $69.75 million as of 2024, though SpaceX charges $7,500 per kg for the Transporter rideshare programme. With reusability, the marginal cost per launch is reportedly under $30 million, with most of that going to second-stage hardware and refurbishment.
Rockets must accelerate payloads to 7.8 km/s (orbital velocity) while overcoming Earth's gravity and atmospheric drag. The propellant required is ~95% of the rocket's launch mass, and most of the structure is discarded after a single use. Reusability — pioneered by SpaceX with first-stage recovery — is the main reason prices have dropped.