# An Overview of CubeSat Missions and Applications
## 2 The Success of CubeSats and Its Enabling Factors
### The Reduction of Launch Costs and Rideshare Opportunities  
The first and perhaps one of the most significant factors enabling the proliferation of CubeSats is the considerable reduction in the cost of accessing space. This has been driven by the introduction into service of partially reusable orbital-class launch vehicles such as SpaceX's (Hawthorne, CA, USA) Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, Blue Origin's (Kent, WA, USA) New Glenn, and Rocket Lab's (Long Beach, CA, USA) Electron rockets. These systems are designed to recover, refurbish, and reuse key components of the launch vehicle, which in turn lowers the cost associated with new space missions. This market pressure and competition between launch providers have further helped in lowering launch costs even more for expendable launch vehicles. The commissioning of fully reusable launch vehicles, such as SpaceX's Starship, is expected to further decrease payload launch costs, expanding access to space even for institutions with limited financial resources. The impact of these cost reductions is evident when comparing the cost per kilogram of payload to low Earth orbit (LEO) for various launch vehicles, with reusable launch vehicles offering significantly lower prices than traditional expendable systems [18].  
Another critical factor contributing to more affordable launch prices is the widespread adoption of rideshare launch missions. In such missions, two or more payloads from different clients share the same launch vehicle, thereby distributing the launch-associated costs [19]. While multiple-payload launches have existed since the early space age, only in recent decades have consistent efforts been made to fully exploit rideshare capabilities  
Figure 4: The total number of CubeSat and other nanosatellite launches that have taken place in the period between 1998 and 2025. Data and illustration by Nanosats Database/Erik Kulu [17].  
through standardized mechanical interfaces. According to NASA, payloads in rideshare missions are classified into three categories:  
* Primary payload: The term primary payload refers to the satellite or other type of spacecraft for the launch of which the launch is procured. It is usually the largest and most expensive of the payloads and it is the one that usually dictates the launch profile, final orbit, as well as the integration procedures to a large degree. The primary payload is also the payload that usually separates first from the payload adapter of the launch vehicle.
* Secondary payload: The term secondary payload refers to satellites that are usually smaller in size compared to the primary payload and are parts of independent missions that have little to no impact on the primary payload.
* Tertiary payload: The term tertiary payload refers to very small satellites that in no way interfere with the mission primary payload.  
Some notable examples of CubeSats launched as secondary payloads are the transporter missions by SpaceX. The first Transporter-1 mission in January 2021 set a record by launching 143 satellites, making it the largest rideshare mission to date [20]. As of 2026, several commercial providers, apart from SpaceX with its Falcon 9 rocket [21], such as Rocket Lab with the Electron rocket [22] and Arianespace (Evry-Courcouronnes n. Paris, France) with the Vega and Ariane 6 launch vehicles [23], offer dedicated rideshare services, allowing dozens or even hundreds of CubeSats to be launched in a single mission.