SpaceNews: Build or buy. That’s the question for constellation developers
Many satellite constellation developers are opting to build their own satellites. Over the last year, the number of constellations relying on in-house manufacturing jumped from 32 percent to 43 percent, Brad Grady, Northern Sky Research president and chief operating officer, said at the SmallSat Symposium. In many cases, firms decide to build their own satellites to maintain control of their intellectual property and to ensure they can meet ambitious production schedules. Still, companies have to decide how much to build in-house, Grady said. Do they need to become as vertically integrated as SpaceX?