--- title: "More Than 100 Spacecraft Signed Up for SpaceX Rideshare Program" description: "\"More than 100 spacecraft have been signed up\" for SpaceX's Smallsat Rideshare Program,\" according to the company. First launch is scheduled for next week." date: "2020-06-18" modified: "2020-06-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/more-than-100-spacecraft-spacex-rideshare-program" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "falcon 9" - "satellite launch" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # More Than 100 Spacecraft Signed Up for SpaceX Rideshare Program !["More than 100 spacecraft have been signed up" for SpaceX's Smallsat Rideshare Program," according to the company. First launch is scheduled for next week.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## 100+ Last August, SpaceX [announced]() a "rideshare" program for launching satellites, an initiative designed to make it easier — and cheaper — for smaller satellite operators to reach orbit. Then, in February, the Elon Musk-led space company officially launched an [online booking tool]() to take reservations. It sounds like there's been plenty of demand. "More than 100 spacecraft have been signed up to fly on Falcon 9 since we launched the rideshare program," a company [tweet]() reads, appended with a link for more operators to book. ## Smallsat The news comes after the Seattle-based aerospace company Spaceflight Inc. [announced]() on Wednesday it booked spots on SpaceX's rideshare program. The first scheduled launch as part of SpaceX's "Smallsat Rideshare Program" is slated for as early as next week, carrying two Earth observation satellites. The rideshare program will be taking advantage of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket to launch a variety of missions into Earth's orbit. And while a million dollars for 400 pounds of payload may sound like a lot, it's a tiny fraction of the typical cost. ## Space Bargain SpaceX has managed to reduce the total launch costs of its Falcon 9 rocket to, in some cases, [below $50 million](). The United Launch Alliance's launches tend to cost [many hundreds of millions of dollars](). As some have quipped online, 400 pounds could even be enough for a person (with a death wish) to squeeze themselves into a box and be sent into space. "$1 million to yeet myself into \[low-Earth orbit\]," wrote redditor Twigz2012 in [a comment](). "Sweet." **More on the program:** *[You Can Now Book Space on a SpaceX Rocket for $1 Million Online]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()