Tuesday, November 12, 2024

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Swan Room

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Details

Blue Origin’s New Glenn should finally launch this year, while SpaceX’s Starship test flights continue to demonstrate a revolutionary launcher. Both events will make the economics of satellite launch in 2026 unrecognisable relative to today. The combination of competition and a fully reuseable massive launcher means that not only is a reduction in launch cost almost inevitable, but much of that reduction will be passed to satellite manufacturers. This is likely to drive dramatic change in the kinds of services that can be provided, and how they are delivered. Sometimes we are blindsided by unforeseeable change, but there is no excuse for not noticing and thinking deeply about the imminent precipitous changes in the space market. In this presentation, two hands-on practitioners explain the implications of a major fall in launch cost, both literally in hardware but also in service provision. We assess the state of the launch market and satellite technology, and then draw links to services and markets where affordable mass to orbit is already, or about to drive a step change in performance.

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Speaker