The small launch vehicle industry, flush with startups, will likely see a shakeout in the next one to three years with a handful of companies emerging, according to executives of two such ventures.
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Posted inCommercial
Ursa Major Technologies wants outsourcing engines to be the norm
Founded in 2015, Ursa Major wants to build engines for companies building small launch vehicles. Most such ventures want to make nearly everything in house, just like SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Posted inLaunch
OneWeb, Arianespace target December-February for first Soyuz launch
The first launch of OneWeb’s low-Earth-orbit broadband constellation could still happen by year’s end, but may slip into early 2019, according to officials from OneWeb and launch provider Arianespace.
Posted inLaunch
Proposed standard seeks to offer more launch flexibility for smallsats
A proposed standard announced at a conference last week seeks to provide the same launch flexibility for larger smallsats currently enjoyed by cubesats.
Posted inFrom the Magazine
Five decades after Black Arrow, a reawakening UK launch industry aims for bullseye
After years of efforts within the British government, and lobbying by the country’s space industry, the U.K. is taking steps to get back in the launch business.
Posted inMilitary
SN Military.Space | Space reorganization: Reform fatigue already? • SMD Symposium underway in Huntsville • DARPA soon to announce Blackjack winners
These are uncertain times for many of the agencies and offices in the military-space-industrial landscape.
Posted inFrom the Magazine
Government agencies welcome small rockets with contracts, awards and reduced red tape
To prepare for a new generation of small rockets promising dedicated rides to orbit for small satellites, NASA, the U.S. Air Force, the National Reconnaissance Office and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are setting aside money and trimming oversight.
Posted inLaunch
Ursa Major aims to disrupt launcher vertical integration trend
Colorado startup Ursa Major Technologies is building a line of rocket engines that it hopes smallsat launch companies will choose over building their own engines in-house.
Posted inCommercial
Spaceflight gears up for dedicated Falcon 9 launch
Spaceflight announced Aug. 6 that it’s beginning final preparations for a dedicated Falcon 9 launch later this year carrying more than 70 smallsats for a variety of commercial, government and educational customers.
Posted inNews
U.K. selects Scottish spaceport site
After years of study and consideration, the British government announced July 15 that it will start development of a new spaceport in northern Scotland, while an English airport signed a deal that could also lead to launches from its facility.
