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Announcement of Partnership Opportunity for CubeSat Launch Initiative

NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) facilitates flight opportunities to low Earth orbit for CubeSats developed by eligible U.S. educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and NASA centers. Through CSLI, participating organizations gain a low-cost pathway to space for research and technology demonstrations that advance NASA’s strategic goals in education, science, and technology development. As of September 2026, CSLI has selected 228 CubeSat missions, including 183 that have launched. NASA continues to facilitate flight opportunities for previously selected missions.

The agency anticipates releasing the next CSLI solicitation in 2028. NASA will provide additional information about eligibility, requirements, and how to apply closer to the solicitation’s release. At every stage of participation, CubeSat teams can gain technical knowledge, hands-on experience, and valuable partnerships that support future research and mission development. These benefits can extend beyond an individual project’s launch status or mission outcome, helping to develop America’s next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.

NASA anticipates making launch opportunities available for a limited number of CubeSats to a variety of U.S. CubeSat developers and during the project, NASA will provide integration and other services as necessary to complete the launch activity.

Participation in the CSLI is contingent upon selection of an appropriate launch opportunity by NASA, and, for those entities external to NASA, a non-reimbursable Cooperative Research and Development Agreement containing standard terms and conditions for all CSLI collaborators.

NASA does not provide funding for the development of the small satellites.

Helpful Links

CSLI Resources
NASA Announces CubeSat Launch Initiative Opportunity
 

Long-exposure photograph showing a rocket's illuminated flight path and expanding exhaust plume against a dark blue night sky.
After the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the company’s Dragon spacecraft atop, at 6:33 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida as part of the company’s 35th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA, the rocket’s exhaust plumes, illuminated by sunlight against the predawn sky, created a glowing jellyfish-like shape. This can also happen with a launch near sunset. Dragon will deliver about 6,300 pounds of science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station.
SpaceX