Addressing the Bottleneck in the Launch Market

We know launching rockets isn’t easy. It never has been, and even though spaceports and launch providers are emerging at an impressive clip, it remains a tough market to crack. With a slew of launch failures in recent months, there are now an inevitable set of delays as companies look to get their satellites up and propel their business plans forward. We have had what could be described as a perfect storm, with launch failures and rocket delays, supply chain issues, amid huge demand.

As we enter this era of launching thousands and tens of thousands of satellites, how can this industry support this, and support it in a timely and sustainable way? It’s an interesting question. Vivienne Machi takes a look at the bottleneck in the launch market in this month’s cover story, and how the industry is looking to overcome it.

Looking at the U.S. broadband market, it never fails to surprise me just how many people are still out of reach of traditional terrestrial services. It is a number in the millions and there has always been hope that satellite can do more to bridge the divide. While undoubtedly the technology has improved, it still feels as though regulators are not convinced that satellite can play a role, despite the industry arguing that it can. Rebecca Heilweil takes a look at how satellite is faring in terms of U.S. federal broadband policy.

We have just had our groundbreaking satellite and cybersecurity event CyberLEO in Los Angeles. The event hosted a number of top speakers who all pitched the need for better relationships between government and commercial players, as well as the evolving threat landscape for satellite players. More than a year after the attack on Viasat satellite equipment, the event was a timely reminder of the new dangers that could face our industry. We once again appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you soon.