Thoughts on launch in Europe and new resources for space engineers

Hello and welcome to your latest newsletter from satsearch.

In this edition we take a look at some of the latest movements in the all-important launch sector, focussing mainly on Europe.

We also share a wealth of new resources produced by the satsearch team in the last few weeks.

Let's get going!

The quest for sovereign launch

The UK government (via the UK Space Agency ) has announced an investment of ￡20 million (around $24.8 million) in Scotland-based launch company Orbex . The funding is part of the company's series D raise and will go toward the development of the reusable Orbex Prime launch vehicle.

This is the first investment of this kind by the UK government, for whom sovereign launch capabilities are an intriguing prospect. The aim is for Orbex Prime to launch for the first time later this year, from?SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland, Scotland.

Orbex recently announced that it had to decided to suspend development of its own launch site in Sutherland (near the North coast of Scotland) and instead use SaxaVord.

Sovereign launch capabilities of course require both a vehicle and a spaceport to launch from, so it is very interesting to see this consolidation at SaxaVord and shows how hard it is to develop both aspects at the same time!

Forecasting demand

But, as always with the space industry, we should always question whether the demand is there. If we look at the US for example; SpaceX 's Transporter missions regularly fill up and?at the "world's busiest spaceport" at the Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral, Florida, they had a record-breaking 93 launches last year.

In fact, the Eastern Range commander?Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen recently said that demand is so high that the major bottleneck they currently face is a lack of space to process satellites and payloads in order to prepare for launch. But how do things compare in Europe?

Well, the UK government has stated that European demand for satellites is forecasted to be worth $50 billion up to 2033. And there are early signs of this having benefits for the country.

D-Orbit has provisionally signed up for two launches with Orbex in the next 3 years for example,?while Germany-based launch company Rocket Factory Augsburg - RFA was recently awarded a Launch Operator Licence enabling it to perform launches from SaxaVord.

So there are interested prospects for both the vehicles and launch sites. And, potentially, some future commercial competition between Orbex and RFA too, which should benefit satellite providers. These are all positive signs, but the launch industry in Europe wants (and probably needs) to accelerate further. And some stakeholders are making sure these feelings are known.

Dear ESA . . .

Last month 6 European launch companies, including Orbex and RFA, sent an open letter to the European Space Agency (ESA) outlining what they see are the key priorities for fostering a more successful launch industry in the region.

You can read the full text here - but the thrust of the letter is that they want the support, resources, and permission to speed up development. This involves more funding, greater flexibility to adapt to the market, and simpler regulations that can enable accelerated progress.

This is an interesting development and is really part of a wider conversation about the speed of innovation in Europe compared to China and the USA. I'm sure you've seen this discussion in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), but it's often held in the space industry too.

Whether this letter encourages any changes by ESA remains to be seen - but it's always good to see the industry engage with agencies and governments, and vice versa.

As another example, from the other direction, the government of India has recently announced that it will follow the NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration model more closely and turn more to the private sector to build launch vehicles and satellites.

India has made some great strides in space in the last few years and there are some high-quality commercial providers across the country, along with many startups and research institutions too. How the government can best support and utilize these capabilities will play a key role in the industry's success in years to come.

2025 could be a pivotal year for the launch sector in Europe and wider space supply chain. And, as always, satsearch will be supporting mission teams and suppliers across the continent, and indeed the world, to build a more active and commercial industry at all levels.

The latest resources from satsearch

In this section you can see an overview of the latest resources for space engineers produced by satsearch over the last few weeks - hope you find something here to help accelerate your mission program:

Spotlight: Vyoma is developing its own satellite operations capabilities – the strategy behind the curtains?-?Discover how, and why, satsearch Trusted Supplier Vyoma is developing its own space mission operations and control capabilities.

Supply chain brief – 2NDSpace (January 2025) - satsearch Trusted Supplier 2NDSpace SRL is launching an onboard computer (OBC) and a CubeSat deployer in 2025, while also making it simpler to customize hardware.

Supply chain brief – Terma (January 2025) - satsearch Trusted Supplier Terma Group is bringing an innovative software-defined radio (SDR) modem to the market in 2025.

A roundup of predictions and news about the space industry in 2025 - view a collection of predictions, ideas, and planned events for the next 12 months from industry stakeholders around the world.

What’s next for NewSpace, in 2025 and beyond? - browse our comprehensive roundup of expert insights on the NewSpace sector by representatives of 22 different satsearch Trusted Suppliers.

Dig deep, fly high - a list of 7 useful questions on spacetech flight heritage, to help you better understand the track record of a space system.

The space industry acronym TL;DR - a concise explanation of 10 common space industry and procurement terms that you need to know.

10 reasons to use satsearch.com for space procurement - find out more about the services and value that we provide for space mission teams on a daily basis.

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