A lack of rockets is creating a crisis for space technology companies(newscientist.com) |
A lack of rockets is creating a crisis for space technology companies(newscientist.com) |
as for alternatives:
> Starship, which NASA is hoping will return humans to the moon, may still offer ride-share missions. But the rocket is designed with flat Starlink satellites in mind, deploying them through a slot in the side like a candy dispenser. This design might not support bulkier satellites from other companies, although some versions of Starship might have a more traditional satellite deployment mechanism.
> The war in Ukraine is also having an impact. Prior to Russia’s invasion in 2022, about a fifth of global launch capacity, including many commercial launches, was handled by Russian rockets such as Soyuz, says Henry. Since the war began, that route to space has ended.
> Another issue is the lack of commercial rivals to SpaceX. Its next closest competitor is US company Rocket Lab, which launched 18 of its smaller Electron rockets to orbit in 2025, but has yet to launch its new, larger Neutron rocket. Many other firms are developing new rockets, but these haven’t started flying regularly. Another competitor, the New Glenn rocket from Jeff Bezos’s company Blue Origin, is grounded after exploding in May. Other rockets, such as Europe’s Ariane rockets and India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, meanwhile, launch only a few times a year.
> China has also begun operating more commercial rockets, but US and most European satellites are barred from launching on these rockets because of US regulations. “Even if you have a satellite built in Europe, if it has a component from America, it cannot fly on a Chinese rocket,” says Henry.
> Much of global launch capacity was already taken up by another of Bezos’s companies, Amazon, before SpaceX reportedly ended bookings on Falcon 9. In 2022, the firm ordered 83 launches for its own space internet constellation, Amazon Leo, of which only 14 have launched so far.