SmallSat Launches, Ride-Sharing and Re-usability

Kirk Pysher shares his thoughts on the rapid growth of smallsats and the increasing market opportunity for traditional launch service providers. He outlines the challenge faced by smallsat operators… that, “it is frequently more expensive to launch a small satellite than build it.” Kirk argues that the most cost-effective approach for these new satellite operators is to share rides to reduce costs. He states that the cost of launch can be reduced by 50% right away, if the small satellite can be launched with someone else to share the cost. He also discusses the changing launch landscape and the continuing focus on reliability and how that is affecting insurance for launches. When discussing engine reusability, Kirk makes it clear that the concept isn’t new and that there are many trade-offs in terms of reliability, cost and performance.