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 .
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. More than 100 companies are thought to be developing small satellite launch vehicles, but only five to seven firms are likely to survive, said Les Kovacs of Firefly Aerospace.