In early May, 2 GEO communications satellites launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket. It was supposed to be the next step in GEO satcom from two opposite ends of the market spectrum: Viasat’s 6-tonne powerhouse delivering massive capacity to compete with constellations, and Astranis’ Arcturus, a 300 kg platform meant to test both the “micro-GEO”.
Space is tough. GEO satellites are realized on redundancy and reliability as their core philosophy. With decades of research, design, development and operations data, manufacturers have been able to achieve systems & spacecrafts with lower failure probabilities. Clearly, this does not ensure success with every launch. From a market forces perspective, GEO players are experiencing.
Satellite manufacturing and launch markets are evolving at rates never seen before. With a bevy of actors entering the satellite market at different levels of the value chain, the new dynamic is changing the way this industry measures growth – with the number of satellite orders and price/ kg losing relevance as market indicators. In.