Gravity-1 Sets Wednesday Liftoff: Solid Rocket's First Commercial Con…

Orienspace's Gravity-1 solid-propellant rocket is launching 30 satellites for a commercial constellation customer on 22 July—the first full-scale commercial deployment of this unique all-solid orbital vehicle, which can change inclination mid-flight and achieve five-hour pad turnaround. If Orienspace lands this constellation contract and proves five-hour pad turnaround at $39 million per flight, you've just watched the economics of small-sat launch disaggregate from SpaceX's proven-cost model. Solid rockets can't match SpaceX's payload efficiency, but they can match responsiveness and predictability—that's a new buyer in the market for customers who value launch schedule over absolute per-kilogram cost.