2015 Small Satellite Market Observations
2015 Small Satellite Market Observations Point of Contact: Dr. John Bradford President / COO john.bradford@sei.aero 1+770.379.8007 Published by: SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. (SEI) Atlanta, GA 2
2014 SpaceWorks 2014 Projection estimated between 140 and 143 nano/microsatellites across all sectors would launch globally in 2014; 158 nano/microsatellites were actually launched. This represented an increase of nearly 72% compared to 2013. 2015+ In 2014, 107 commercial nano/microsatellites (1-50 kg) launched and thousands of commercial small satellites (101-500 kg) are planned for launch over the next fifteen years. Recent multi-million and multi-billion dollar investments in various ventures confirm the commercial sector s continued interest in the nano/microsatellite and small satellite industries. 3
2014 Highlights With 92 launches, 2014 experienced the second highest annual launch rate since 1994 Planet Labs has launched 97 CubeSats to date (93 in 2014), the largest quantity ever contributed by a commercial company Antares CRS-2 launched on July 13 th with 32 CubeSats on board. While deploying the satellites, the NanoRacks CubeSat dispenser experienced two failures (one non-deployment event and one unplanned deployment), forcing 14 satellites to remain onboard the ISS Since most nano/microsatellites (1-50 kg) launch in large clusters as secondary payloads, a single failure can result in significant loss; 30 nano/microsatellites were lost when Antares failed shortly after launch on October 28 th In just nine days, Planet Labs built and delivered two satellites to include on the SpaceX CRS-5; these satellites replicated the specifications of the 26 satellites lost on Antares Multiple companies were rumored to be developing large communication satellite constellations in 2014 In early 2015, SpaceX and OneWeb (formerly WorldVu, Ltd.) confirmed their plans to pursue sizeable constellations of 4,025 and 648 satellites, respectively Both companies have secured significant funding as well as launch arrangements Credit: AMSAT-UK Flock-1 CubeSats deployed from ISS on February 11, 2014 Credit: Bloomberg Business Graphical representation of coverage provided by OneWeb satellite constellation 4
Notable Activities in Other Mass Classes In 2014, 46 satellites launched in the 501 to 2,000 kg mass class, a 31% increase over 2013 Full deployment of the 72-satellite Iridium-NEXT constellation (66 operational satellites, 6 spares) is expected to be completed by 2017 Two of the eight O3b satellites launched in 2014 experienced power supply issues and will be used as spares; O3b is currently working on the next-generation system Fewer satellites in the 2,001 to 5,000 kg mass class launched in 2014 compared to 2013 (26 in 2014 vs. 29 in 2013) In September 2014, Laser Light Communications announced plans to deploy a constellation of up to twelve all-optical communications satellites; Ball Aerospace was selected to build the first eight In order to fulfill its NASA Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract commitments following the Antares failure, Orbital Sciences signed a contract with ULA to deliver up to two Cygnus spacecraft to the ISS using an Atlas V Credit: Iridium Communications Artistic representation of Iridium-NEXT constellation More than half of spacecraft in the 5,001 kg+ mass class launched in 2014 were ISS-related (cargo and crew delivery); more than one third were communications satellites SpaceX has seven remaining launches under the current CRS contract; CRS-2 winners have not yet been announced, but would deliver cargo to the ISS from 2017 to 2024 SES launched two communications satellites in 2014 (Astra-5B, Astra-2G); Ariane 5 ECA will launch SES-12 in 2017 Credit: Airbus Defense and Space Graphic of Astra-2G satellite launched on December 27, 2014 5
Nano/Microsatellite Applications and Associated Examples Credit: http://space.skyrocket.de/ Communications AprizeSat-10 Mass: 13 kg Launched: 6/2014 Credit: http://space.skyrocket.de/ Technology AeroCube-6 Mass: 2 kg Launched: 6/2014 Credit: Planet Labs Earth Observation Flock-1b Mass: 6 kg Launched: 7/2014 Credit: http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/ Credit: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zacinaction/kicksat-your-personal-spacecraft-in-space Credit: https://directory.eoportal.org Technology TechEdSat-4 Mass: 4 kg Launched: 7/2014 Technology KickSat-1 Mass: 5 kg Launched: 4/2014 Scientific SporeSat Mass: 5 kg Launched: 4/2014 6
SpaceWorks Satellite Forecasting/Assessment Overview Since 2008, SpaceWorks has actively monitored global satellite activities and has provided customized market assessments in all mass classes (0.1-kg to 10,000-kg) for commercial and government customers in the satellite and launch vehicle communities These forecasts often consider a combination of mission characteristics (country, sector, frequency band(s), orbital parameters, propulsion type, etc.) in order to reveal specific trends in the industry SpaceWorks Satellite Launch Demand Database (LDDB), a catalogue of nearly 4,000 historical and future missions, serves as the data source for all assessments The LDDB includes public and non-public satellite projects/programs and is continually updated with new project announcements, program cancellations, launch successes (and failures) SpaceWorks-developed market assessments deliver valuable industry knowledge to our customers, enabling organizations to make informed future investment decisions 7
Nano/Microsatellite Launch History (1 50 kg) The nano/microsatellite industry continues to thrive, with 158 satellites launched last year 180 160 140 Historical Launches +72% Number of Satellites (1-50 kg) 120 100 80 60 158 SpaceWorks 2015 Nano/Microsatellite Market Forecast is now available! See the next slide for more information. 40 92 20 26 25 20 36 0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Calendar Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Historical data includes failed launch attempts. Historical data may not represent all global nano/microsatellite activities. The number of satellites may not equal the number of launches since many small satellites are multiple-manifested (i.e. more than one satellite co-manifested on a particular launch vehicle). 8
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