Description

This study forecasts small-satellite launch demand based on operators’ maturity, mass classes, and user segments. It also details the projected small satellite launch capacity supply and analyses the alignment of launch demand and supply for multiple forecast scenarios. The study includes the new developments in the small satellite value chain for Q1 2018.

Small satellites are at the spotlight of the evolution of space industry. The small-satellite ecosystem is expanding at an accelerated pace with new entrants offering innovative new space solutions and existing players expanding their portfolio by investments in the small-satellite value chain. It becomes very important to investigate the past and current state of the small satellite market and forecast the future scenarios. Many small satellite constellation operators have advanced in their development processes and will generate continuous and recurring launch demand for their constellation installation and replacement missions. At present, nearly all small satellites use the rideshare capacity as a secondary payload on the existing launch vehicles. This makes their project schedule and mission requirements dependent on the primary payload. Also, the existing rideshare capacity will not be sufficient to address the small satellite launch demand in future. Many incumbent and new players have sensed the upcoming small satellite demand and have started planning for providing dedicated services and launch flexibility to the small satellite operators in order to capture the future small satellite launch market.

What makes our reports unique?
The report tracks the changing dynamics every quarter and updates the forecast based on latest events. The report exposes the readers to the latest forecast numbers and the major changes, empowering them to the most informed decision making. A bottom-up and detailed approach is applied to forecast the small-satellite launch demand. The study defines multiple forecast scenarios based on the maturity of satellite operators. More than 250 operators across the user segments are considered for the forecast. Number of small satellites, payload mass, and launch revenue are forecasted on the basis of defined scenarios, satellite mass classes, and user segments. The study also includes the launch capacity forecast for both rideshare and dedicated launch services segments and analyses the alignment between the small satellite launch demand and capacity supply.