The advent of reusable commercial medium−/heavy-lift launch vehicles will drive growth in the small satellite (smallsat) industry by enabling low-cost access to space for constellation operators in geosynchronous orbits (GEO) and non-geosynchronous orbits (NGSO). Innovations in reusability, high-performance engines, and larger payload fairings are changing the economics of launch, providing significant value to smallsat operators. Reusable, medium−/heavy-lift launch vehicles like Blue Origin’s New Glenn and SpaceX’s Falcon offerings offer smallsat operators affordable access to space and significant value in the form of decreasing time to market, rapid fleet refresh, and solution scalability.
This article describes how the evolution of space launch capabilities will impact the smallsat industry. Specifically, it describes the developments in the launch services market, smallsat operator launch preferences, and the enabling role played by heavy-lift vehicles.
The Evolution of Medium/Heavy-Lift and Reusable Launch Vehicles and Its Implications for Smallsat Access to Space
Handbook of Small Satellites ; Kapitel : 92 ; 469-477
13.09.2020
9 pages
Aufsatz/Kapitel (Buch)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Falcon 9 , European Space Agency (ESA) , Rideshare missions , Blue Origin , Calisto , Reusable launch vehicles , Prometheus , US Government policy , Medium−/heavy-lift vehicles , SpaceX , Soyuz , Delta II , Smallsat industry , Launch aggregators and facilitators , Economics of launch services , Start-up launch service providers , NASA , United Launch Alliance , Ariane 6 , Low Earth orbit (LEO) , High-performance engines , New Glenn , Non-geosynchronous satellite orbit (NGSO) , Decreasing time to market , Low-cost access to space Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Exploration and Astronautics) , Communications Engineering, Networks , Physics and Astronomy , Aerospace Technology and Astronautics , Monitoring/Environmental Analysis , Physics