A contraction in the number of small launch vehicles to serve the satellite market is expected , while demand for satellites will be driven by the commercial sector rather than the US government , the Satellite 2019 conference in Washington has said . Virgin Orbit , Vector and British Aerospace expect to carry out their first launch within a year . “We’re tracking a large number of wannabe launch vehicle providers,” Cleave said. More than 100 companies are thought to be developing small satellite launch vehicles , but only five to seven firms are likely to survive , said Peter Kovacs of Firefly Aerospace .
A contraction in the number of small launch vehicles to serve the satellite market is expected , while demand for satellites will be driven by the commercial sector rather than the US government , the Satellite 2019 conference in Washington has said . Virgin Orbit , Vector and British Aerospace expect to carry out their first launch within a year . More than 100 companies are thought to be developing small satellite launch vehicles , but only five to seven firms are likely to survive , said Peter Kovacs of Firefly Aerospace .