Big Primes Squeezing into a Smallsat World

Following Boeing’s acquisition of Millennium Space Systems in August, all of the leading prime contractors in the manufacturing sector have made a play in the small satellite market. Lockheed Martin’s investment in Terran Orbital, Airbus’s joint venture with OneWeb, Thales Alenia Space’s partnership with Spaceflight Industries, and SSL’s in-house development, among others, have each committed resources to smallsat manufacturing capabilities. With all eyes now turning.