The global satellite and space analysts at Quilty Analytics just published an in-depth analysis of the nascent commercial small launch market as part of their ongoing quarterly deep dive into the space infrastructure sector. The 40-page report gives a complete breakdown of the small launch landscape from its inception to today.
With investors pouring more than $4.5 billion into more than 100 new small-launch startups, the demand for these rockets will be determined by several factors illustrated throughout the report. After reviewing two decades of financial activity, the Quilty analysts also highlight the recent trends toward diversification among launch providers and identify the challenges that threaten their promises of lower-cost, on-demand access to space.
“We witnessed explosive growth in the small launch sector spurred by the miniaturization of satellites and rush to orbit thousands of broadband megaconstellations,” says Quilty Analytics Partner Chris Quilty. “But small launch providers are pivoting on strategy for a reason. They are finding that oftentimes their initial business case just doesn’t close.”