Index Methodology

Name: Rocket Payload Price Index (RPPI)
Creator: RPPI

How we calculate the Rocket Payload Price Index - a transparent, rigorous benchmark for orbital freight costs.

v1.3.0

1. Objective

Create a trusted, transparent reference price for orbital freight in USD/kg, based on observable market data. The benchmark is designed for operational pricing and derivatives settlement use cases.

2. Product Definition

v1.3.0 Benchmark Unit

Unit: 1 kilogram of payload mass reserved and delivered
Orbit Hub: LEO SSO (500-600 km, 97-98 degree inclination)
Service Grade: RS = Standard rideshare (no custom adapters, separation, environmental specs)
Payload Mass: 25-500 kg
Lead Time: 6-12 months from booking to separation (anchor)

Flagship BenchmarkRPPI-SSO-RS-6x12

3. Eligible Inputs

1Executed transactions

1.00

2Firm quotes

0.85

3Indicative quotes

0.50

4Public announcements

0.30

5Rate cards

0.15

6Aggregator data

0.50

4. Calculation

Weighting Formula

w_i = m_i * t_i * r_i * s_i

m_i = mass in kg (default 100 kg if missing)
t_i = confidence weight (HIGH 1.00, MEDIUM 0.70, LOW 0.30)
s_i = source weight (EXECUTED 1.00, FIRM_QUOTE 0.85, INDICATIVE 0.50, PUBLIC 0.30, RATE_CARD 0.15)
r_i = recency = r_i = 0.5^(age_days / 90)

Final Print

RPPI(d) = SUM(w_i * p_i) / SUM(w_i)

Empirical Tenor Model

Ratios for 3x6 and 12x24 are estimated from direct history over 180 days using EWMA (30 day half-life) with shrinkage to prior anchors.

5. Confidence Scoring

A 0-100 score reflecting data quality.

FIRM

>=70 OR (>=60 with >=3 contributors)

INDICATIVE

30-69 with at least one contributor

STALE

<30 or no recent usable data

6. Publication

Daily Fix: 16:00 UTC
Intraday Indicative: If sufficient RFQs
Gate fallback: When fresh real-data gate fails, latest values are carried forward as STALE with decayed confidence
Carry-forward confidence: decay 8 points/day with floor 10

RPPI