 | ||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||
|
July 7, 2016
According to Euroconsult's latest report, Prospects for the Small Satellite Market, we are on the cusp of a major revolution for the space sector and overall space ecosystem, as more than 3,600 smallsats are expected to be launched over the next ten years, a significant increase from the previous decade. The total market value of these satellites is anticipated to be $22 billion (manufacture and launch), a 76% increase over that of 2006-2015. This rate of growth is unprecedented for the space sector and will bring about fundamental changes as both new and established industry players attempt to increase their capabilities in order to gain market share.
"Earth observation is expected to
exhibit the strongest growth in terms of
units launched; over 2,100 satellites
are anticipated from 2016 to 2025. Four
companies plan to launch more than 1,400
satellites during this period alone:
Planet, Spire Global, BlackSky and
Satellogic," said Adam Keith, Managing
Director of Euroconsult Canada and
editor of the report. "Satellite
communication smallsats will also
increase significantly to nearly 800
during the same period of time
(discounting SpaceX's STEAM
constellation). There are six
constellations foreseen, however OneWeb
makes up the bulk of these units."
Including all third-party and in-house
manufacturers, around 200 organizations
built a smallsat between 2006 and 2015;
the coming decade shows a similar
pattern. Smallsat suppliers are entering
the industry to capitalize on demand
with flexible COTS (commercial
off-the-shelf) equipment, bringing down
costs and development times. Larger
integrators focused on larger missions
do not necessarily have the capacity to
create these smaller, nominally
lower-cost solutions at a profit or have
the platforms available to support small
mission development.
In the next
decade, launch services are expected to
generate $5.3 billion, a 76% increase
over the previous decade. Small-lift
vehicles in development will add further
specialized supply. Prices from Firefly,
Rocket Lab and Virgin Galactic are not
expected to undercut existing supply
prices. However, with smallsat operators
impacted by the launch bottleneck and
affected by delays in ridesharing and
the like, despite the higher price per
kg, the benefit of quicker and dedicated
access to space could be attractive for
operators.
|
 | ||||||||||||
