Connect with us

News

SpaceX secures 100+ smallsat launch contracts in 10 months

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has already secured more than a 100 smallsat launch contracts in less than 10 months. (NASA)

Published

5 years ago

on

SpaceX announced that more than 100 small spacecraft are contracted to launch on future Falcon 9 rideshare missions less than 10 months after the company’s Smallsat Program opened its doors.

Critically, this milestone suggests that even before a single launch was completed, demand for SpaceX’s unprecedentedly affordable smallsat launch services is so strong that the program is all but guaranteed to contribute outsized revenue. Thanks to the company’s free-for-all, rapid-fire approach to rideshares on its massive Falcon 9 rocket, there could be monthly opportunities for unrelated small spacecraft to launch on Starlink missions – followed by one or two dedicated rideshares to a slightly different orbit – for the indefinite future.

After securing ~100 customers in a matter of months, SpaceX’s Smallsat Program has proven that it’s already a heavyweight to be reckoned with.

Per SpaceX’s own online portal, where customers can legitimately purchase a smallsat launch contract in a matter of minutes, the potential revenue generated from >100 contracts could be even more than $100 million. For a number of reasons, however, $50-75 million is a much more reasonable – and still extremely impressive – ceiling. Equivalent to the cost of 7-10 launches of Rocket Lab’s small Electron rocket, the ultimate price paid by any given SpaceX rideshare customer is at least several times – if not a magnitude – less.

Advertisement

The compromise: much like taking a bus instead of the cab, customers have to accept that they’ll likely be dropped off – at best – in the general vicinity of their optimal destination. For some small satellites, that’s likely a showstopper or major qualm. For many others, though, millions of dollars of launch cost savings could easily make up for the inconvenience. It’s even possible that companies could choose to add more capable off-the-shelf propulsion offered by a ever-growing number NewSpace suppliers to their spacecraft, effectively allowing a smallsat to head from a given rideshare ‘bus stop’ to its preferred orbit.

Electron’s 11th launch. (Rocket Lab)
Falcon 9’s upper stage sends a batch of smallsats into orbit. (SpaceX)
Space tug companies like Momentus Space could potentially take smallsats to their final destinations without requiring customers to complicate their spacecraft with more advanced propulsion. (Momentus/SpaceX)

Down the road, space tug startup Momentus Space has already signed several contracts with SpaceX to include its Vigoride and Vigoride Extended spacecraft on future Smallsat Program launches. With Vigoride and space tugs like it, smallsat owners could feasibly contract with Momentus to have their satellites delivered to a custom orbit after launching with SpaceX. It remains to be seen if the cost of a combination rideshare-spacetug launch contract can compete with a dedicated small launch vehicle like Electron, but early signs are extremely encouraging.

Scheduled to launch no earlier than December 2020, SpaceX’s very first dedicated rideshare mission will include a Momentus Vigoride space tug that has already secured contracts worth more than $6 million for a portion of its 250 kg (~550 lb) payload capacity.

All things considered, given that the very first Smallsat Program rideshare was completed less than a week ago on June 13th, SpaceX is likely just getting started. Once the company has thoroughly proven the value of its smallsat launch offering with several launches and many happy customers, it’s possible that SpaceX’s first 100 contracts will pale in comparison to the demand it sees a year or two from now.

Check out Teslarati’s Marketplace! We offer Tesla accessories, including for the Tesla Cybertruck and Tesla Model 3.

Advertisement
Related Topics:

Eric Ralph is Teslarati's senior spaceflight reporter and has been covering the industry in some capacity for almost half a decade, largely spurred in 2016 by a trip to Mexico to watch Elon Musk reveal SpaceX's plans for Mars in person. Aside from spreading interest and excitement about spaceflight far and wide, his primary goal is to cover humanity's ongoing efforts to expand beyond Earth to the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere.

Advertisement
Comments

Elon Musk

Why Tesla’s Q3 could be one of its biggest quarters in history

Tesla could stand to benefit from the removal of the $7,500 EV tax credit at the end of Q3.

Published

4 hours ago

on

July 3, 2025

By

(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla has gotten off to a slow start in 2025, as the first half of the year has not been one to remember from a delivery perspective.

However, Q3 could end up being one of the best the company has had in history, with the United States potentially being a major contributor to what might reverse a slow start to the year.

Earlier today, the United States’ House of Representatives officially passed President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” after it made its way through the Senate earlier this week. The bill will head to President Trump, as he looks to sign it before his July 4 deadline.

The Bill will effectively bring closure to the $7,500 EV tax credit, which will end on September 30, 2025. This means, over the next three months in the United States, those who are looking to buy an EV will have their last chance to take advantage of the credit. EVs will then be, for most people, $7,500 more expensive, in essence.

The tax credit is available to any single filer who makes under $150,000 per year, $225,000 a year to a head of household, and $300,000 to couples filing jointly.

Ending the tax credit was expected with the Trump administration, as his policies have leaned significantly toward reliance on fossil fuels, ending what he calls an “EV mandate.” He has used this phrase several times in disagreements with Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Nevertheless, those who have been on the fence about buying a Tesla, or any EV, for that matter, will have some decisions to make in the next three months. While all companies will stand to benefit from this time crunch, Tesla could be the true winner because of its sheer volume.

If things are done correctly, meaning if Tesla can also offer incentives like 0% APR, special pricing on leasing or financing, or other advantages (like free Red, White, and Blue for a short period of time in celebration of Independence Day), it could see some real volume in sales this quarter.

Tesla is just a shade under 721,000 deliveries for the year, so it’s on pace for roughly 1.4 million for 2025. This would be a decrease from the 1.8 million cars it delivered in each of the last two years. Traditionally, the second half of the year has produced Tesla’s strongest quarters. Its top three quarters in terms of deliveries are Q4 2024 with 495,570 vehicles, Q4 2023 with 484,507 vehicles, and Q3 2024 with 462,890 vehicles.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla Full Self-Driving testing continues European expansion: here’s where

Tesla has launched Full Self-Driving testing in a fifth European country ahead of its launch.

Published

8 hours ago

on

July 3, 2025

By

Credit: Tesla

Tesla Full Self-Driving is being tested in several countries across Europe as the company prepares to launch its driver assistance suite on the continent.

The company is still working through the regulatory hurdles with the European Union. They are plentiful and difficult to navigate, but Tesla is still making progress as its testing of FSD continues to expand.

Today, it officially began testing in a new country, as more regions open their doors to Tesla. Many owners and potential customers in Europe are awaiting its launch.

On Thursday, Tesla officially confirmed that Full Self-Driving testing is underway in Spain, as the company shared an extensive video of a trip through the streets of Madrid:

The launch of Full Self-Driving testing in Spain marks the fifth country in which Tesla has started assessing the suite’s performance in the European market.

Across the past several months, Tesla has been expanding the scope of countries where Full Self-Driving is being tested. It has already made it to Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Germany previously.

Tesla has already filed applications to have Full Self-Driving (Supervised) launched across the European Union, but CEO Elon Musk has indicated that this particular step has been the delay in the official launch of the suite thus far.

In mid-June, Musk revealed the frustrations Tesla has felt during its efforts to launch its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) suite in Europe, stating that the holdup can be attributed to authorities in various countries, as well as the EU as a whole:

Tesla Full Self-Driving’s European launch frustrations revealed by Elon Musk

“Waiting for Dutch authorities and then the EU to approve. Very frustrating and hurts the safety of people in Europe, as driving with advanced Autopilot on results in four times fewer injuries! Please ask your governing authorities to accelerate making Tesla safer in Europe.”

Tesla said last year that it planned to launch Full Self-Driving in Europe in 2025.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

xAI’s Memphis data center receives air permit despite community criticism

xAI welcomed the development in a post on its official xAI Memphis account on X.

Published

10 hours ago

on

July 3, 2025

By

xAI-supercomputer-memphis-environment-pushback

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI has secured an air permit from Memphis health officials for its data center project, despite critics’ opposition and pending legal action. The Shelby County Health Department approved the permit this week, allowing xAI to operate 15 mobile gas turbines at its facility.

Air permit granted

The air permit comes after months of protests from Memphis residents and environmental justice advocates, who alleged that xAI violated the Clean Air Act by operating gas turbines without prior approval, as per a report from WIRED. 

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and the NAACP has claimed that xAI installed dozens of gas turbines at its new data campus without acquiring the mandatory Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit required for large-scale emission sources.

Local officials previously stated the turbines were considered “temporary” and thus not subject to stricter permitting. xAI applied for an air permit in January 2025, and in June, Memphis Mayor Paul Young acknowledged that the company was operating 21 turbines. SELC, however, has claimed that aerial footage shows the number may be as high as 35.

Critics are not giving up

Civil rights groups have stated that they intend to move forward with legal action. “xAI’s decision to install and operate dozens of polluting gas turbines without any permits or public oversight is a clear violation of the Clean Air Act,” said Patrick Anderson, senior attorney at SELC. 

Advertisement

“Over the last year, these turbines have pumped out pollution that threatens the health of Memphis families. This notice paves the way for a lawsuit that can hold xAI accountable for its unlawful refusal to get permits for its gas turbines,” he added.

Sharon Wilson, a certified optical gas imaging thermographer, also described the emissions cloud in Memphis as notable. “I expected to see the typical power plant type of pollution that I see. What I saw was way worse than what I expected,” she said.

Continue Reading

Trending