Launch and deployment

Also known as Launch, Deployment, Rideshare, Deployer, OTV

How small satellites reach orbit: from a host satellite, directly from the launch vehicle or from an orbital transfer vehicle. For PocketQubes the launch segment has been a major cause of loss, with 13 of 77 units lost or degraded before operations.

Document
SQ-OP-001
Updated
20 Oct 2026
Reading time
5 min
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Three routes to orbit#

A small satellite reaches orbit in a deployer that something else carries. For PocketQubes three routes have been used[1]:

  • From a host satellite. A microsatellite carries the deployer and releases the PocketQubes after its own separation. The first four PocketQubes left GAUSS Srl’s UniSat-5 in 2013 from the MRFOD deployer, and UniSat-7 repeated the scheme in 2021[2].
  • From the launch vehicle. The deployer rides on the rocket itself, as AlbaPods did on Rocket Lab’s Electron in 2019 and on SpaceX’s Transporter rideshares.
  • From an orbital transfer vehicle (). A free-flying carrier such as D-Orbit’s ION, or once Launcher’s Orbiter, separates from the rocket and releases its passengers later, possibly into different orbits.

The balance has shifted towards transfer vehicles: from 2022 onwards they became the dominant route and carried all 20 PocketQubes launched in 2023[3].

  • From a host satellite
  • From the launch vehicle
  • From an orbital transfer vehicle
PocketQubes launched per year by route to orbit010203040Spacecraft2013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Show the data as a table
CategoryFrom a host satelliteFrom the launch vehicleFrom an orbital transfer vehicleTotal
20134004
20140000
20150000
20160000
20170000
20180000
20190606
20200000
20213609
2022030838
2023002020
20240000
202509716
PocketQubes launched per year in 2013–2025, stacked by route to orbit (nadir lab. census, Appendix A).

Deployers#

DeployerDeveloperNotes
MRFODMorehead State University and GAUSSMorehead–Rome FemtoSat Orbital Deployer, flown inside UniSat-5
AlbaPodAlba OrbitalAlbaPod v2 carries up to six units, weighs less than 500 g and was specified for at least 2 m/s ejection; by 2024 it had flown eight missions and deployed 41 PocketQubes
PicoBusLibre Space FoundationOpen-hardware PocketQube deployer, flown on both Firefly Alpha missions[4]

The v2 shell, ejection mechanism and door are laser-sintered from the carbon-filled polyamide Windform XT 2.0, which cut its mass by about 60% compared with its predecessor[5].

References

  1. [1]nadir lab. (2026). PocketQube picosatellites: A review of standards, mission trends and miniaturization constraints, with lessons learned from Grizu-263A, Türkiye’s first PocketQube [Preprint]. nadir lab.Read on nadir lab.
  2. [2]Krebs, G. D. (2026). UniSat 5. Gunter’s Space Page.space.skyrocket.de(accessed 20 October 2026)
  3. [3]Krebs, G. D. (2026). PocketQube (PocketQub). Gunter’s Space Page.space.skyrocket.de(accessed 20 October 2026)
  4. [4]Libre Space Foundation. (2026). LSF-PICOBUS PocketQube deployer.libre.space(accessed 20 October 2026)
  5. [5]nadir lab. (2026). Materials engineering for PocketQube picosatellites: A scaling-based review and design guide [Preprint]. nadir lab.Read on nadir lab.
  6. [6]Wall, M. (2022). Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket reaches orbit for 1st time. Space.com.space.com(accessed 20 October 2026)
  7. [7]SpaceNews. (2022). Report on the outcome of Firefly Alpha flight FLTA002.spacenews.com(accessed 20 October 2026)
  8. [8]Bouwmeester, J., Radu, S., Uludag, M. S., Chronas, N., Speretta, S., Menicucci, A., & Gill, E. K. A. (2020). Utility and constraints of PocketQubes. CEAS Space Journal, 12(4), 573–586.doi:10.1007/s12567-020-00300-0
  9. [9]The CubeSat Program, Cal Poly SLO. (2022). CubeSat Design Specification, Rev. 14.1 (CP-CDS-R14.1). California Polytechnic State University.nasa.gov
  10. [10]Alba Orbital, TU Delft, & GAUSS Srl. (2018). The PocketQube Standard, Issue 1.albaorbital.com
  11. [11]Uludag, M. S., Yakut, E., Speretta, S., Radu, S., Chronas-Foteinakis, N., Bouwmeester, J., Menicucci, A., & Gill, E. (2019). Getting the Delfi-PQ ready for multiple launch options. In: International Symposium on Space Technology and Science (ISTS), Fukui (2019-f-08).pure.tudelft.nl
  12. [12]Libre Space Foundation community forum. (2022). SpaceX F9 Transporter-3, 2022-01-13 15:25 UTC (discussion thread).community.libre.space(accessed 20 October 2026)

Cite this SatWiki entry

@misc{nadirlab2026launch,
  author       = {{nadir lab.}},
  title        = {{Launch and deployment}},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = oct,
  howpublished = {nadir lab. SatWiki SQ-OP-001 (Rev. 1)},
  url          = {https://nadirlab.space/en/wiki/launch-deployment/}
}