Small satellites are backing up waiting for launch: rideshare flies on someone else's date, and small rockets cost too much per kilogram. Lightning fills that gap with one vehicle and published prices, up to 2,750 kg to Low Earth Orbit at $5,000 per kilogram, every Tuesday and Thursday.
Price a MissionSmall satellites are being built faster than there are rides for them. Most still fly as secondary payloads on large rockets, on someone else's schedule.
Smallsats launched in 2025, a record and 98% of all spacecraft launched
BryceTech, Smallsats by the Numbers 2026Of 2025 smallsat deployments went to LEO broadband megaconstellations
BryceTech, Smallsats by the Numbers 2026Of smallsats flew on micro or small launch vehicles; the other 96% rode medium to super-heavy rockets
BryceTech, Smallsats by the Numbers 2026Median launch delay for commercial smallsats, from a study of 1,078 satellites under 600 kg
NewSpace Economy, smallsat launch delays (2020 study)Of the world's 330 orbital launch attempts in 2025 were Falcon 9 flights (165), so most rideshare depends on one vehicle
2025 in spaceflight (Wikipedia)Integrators now buy whole Falcon 9s to run their own rideshare programs. Lightning adds dedicated capacity built for small satellites: two flights a week, priced per kilogram, to the orbit the customer chooses. Source: Payload, Aug 2026
Constellation operators need to deploy a plane of satellites, then replace failures without waiting for the next rideshare.
Tactically Responsive Space needs a rocket that is ready when the mission is, not months later.
We welcome high-level mission requirements now. Flight compatibility is validated later in the program.
Research and Earth observation payloads are often small and wait years for a ride.
Every payload on Lightning connects to Chameleon, our reconfigurable payload rack, through one of two standard adapters: the Fly Adapter for satellites on the sides of the rack, or the larger Dragonfly Adapter for a primary on the top deck or a single satellite on the whole vehicle.
You order the adapter from us, fit it to your satellite or CubeSat dispenser with the checklist we send, and ship the satellite with it mounted. We click it onto the rack. If you book the optional cold gas layer, we fit it between the rack and your adapter, and your satellite gets a small push of its own to clear the stage. The adapter is the only hardware you handle. Flying CubeSats? We can also supply a CubeSat dispenser with the Fly Adapter already mounted, so you only ship us your CubeSats.
Chameleon and Fly-Series AdaptersLightning is in development, so no one can book a flight yet. If your team expects to need a ride to orbit, a short, non-binding letter of interest helps us size the first manifests and shows investors and grant reviewers that the demand is real.
University CubeSat teams, constellation operators and research groups are all welcome.
Request a Letter of InterestPayload mass, target orbit and timing are enough to start. Lightning is in development, so this registers interest. It is not a reservation.
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