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SpaceX is always increasing the total number of satellites it has in orbit, with as many as 11,000 or higher by some estimates by October 2026. That same month, it launched a Falcon 9 rocket containing 28 more Starlink satellites. But what if you wanted to launch just one satellite of your own? How much would that actually cost you? The answer depends on the size of the craft, as larger satellites are much more expensive than smaller ones, with some costing as much as $400 million to put into space. Then again, the top 10 most expensive satellites are huge compared to something like a 570-pound Starlink satellite, which is about the size of your average kitchen table. The costs to launch smaller craft can start as low as $10 million and range to a few hundred million (which doesn't even include the cost of building the satellite in the first place).

But here's another thing: The cost of launching a rocket, to carry and eject a satellite into orbit, is just the start.…