A contraction in the number of small launch vehicles to serve the satellite market is expected, while demand for rockets will be driven by the commercial sector rather than the US government, the Satellite 2019 conference in Washington has heard. Virgin Orbit, Vector and Firefly Aerospace expect to carry out their first launch within a year. “The commercial business case is driven by economics, and availability and reliability, and so whoever can provide those will survive.” The space industry faces an uncertain future as it struggles with low prices and competition from new entrants such as SpaceX and Blue Origin.
A contraction in the number of small launch vehicles to serve the satellite market is expected, while demand for rockets will be driven by the commercial sector rather than the US government, the Satellite 2019 conference in Washington has heard. Virgin Orbit, Vector and Firefly Aerospace expect to carry out their first launch within a year. The space industry faces an uncertain future as it struggles with low prices and competition from new entrants such as SpaceX and Blue Origin.