Breaking Down the Business of Space

G. Pettit here, 

Welcome to the Launchpad Newsletter, your top source for political, economic, and social developments in the New Space Economy, built by real entrepreneurs shaping it.

Ready-for-launch into the insights of the most impactful industry of the 21st Century.

This Week’s Next-Gen Newsflash

🚀 A.I finds novel new applications in aerospace & defense, courtesy of the U.S Space Force

🛰️ China has returned to the Moon, this time to robotically return samples to Earth

💸 Is there money to be made with space stations? Starlab aims to find out.

Today’s Subject of Space: June Jubilee

June 2024 has lots to be excited about, regarding space. Let’s break down the top stories:

1. SpaceX Starship's High-Stakes Fourth Flight Test

Mark your calendars for June 6th! SpaceX's Starship, the largest rocket ever built, is gearing up for its fourth flight test out of Starbase, Texas.

This behemoth aims to make space history by being 100% reusable, with the ability to land both its booster and orbital stages after delivering colossal payloads of up to 150 tons into Earth orbit, the Moon, and possibly one day Mars.

The third flight reached orbit but ended in a double loss of rocket stages. Will the fourth test break this streak? 

The pressure is on. Reusability and payload capacity are the industry's hottest topics, and SpaceX is leading the charge.

2. The Race for Reusability: Europe vs. China

As SpaceX pushes forward, Europe's ARIANESPACE finds itself at a crossroads. 

The Ariane-6, still under development and completely expendable, risks obsolescence before its first flight. 

Meanwhile, China eyes the future with its Long March-9, slated for a 2033 debut. 

Though trailing behind America’s many laurels, China’s advancements promise a competitive edge that benefits the entire industry. Who will emerge as the leader in reusable rocket technology? Time will tell!

3. Boeing's Rocky Road with Starliner

Boeing can't seem to catch a break. While its airline division grapples with quality issues and whistleblower controversies, Boeing Space faces its own set of challenges. 

The Starliner crew capsule, already 5 years behind schedule, faces new delays, with a second scrub on June 1st just minutes from countdown, and a high "risk of disaster" according to a key subcontractor. The launch date is now no-earlier-than June 5th.

Despite numerous setbacks and a budget overrun of over $1.5 billion, the Starliner program presses on, aiming to fulfill its next-gen spacecraft promise. 

But can it overcome these hurdles, and stay relevant after the approaching decommissioning of the International Space Station? Only one way to find out.

Stay curious, stay informed, and reach new heights with The Launchpad.

State of the New Space Economy

• In case you forgot, NASA makes public the majority of its metadata, as a courtesy to US taxpayers.

• Despite growing component demand, launch companies pushing for vertical integration have squeezed the space industry’s wholesale trade market down an average of 4.9% annually since 2016, consolidating what had once been a diverse ecosystem of vendors and subscontractors

• Curious about the growth of the space economy? The US Bureau of Economic Analysis created a free spreadsheet showing the industry’s growth from 2012 to 2021

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