Another thing that tends to happen in boom-bust cycles is that the assets of the failed companies get bought up. For example, SpaceX does their testing in McGregor, Texas primarily because it was a former Beal Aerospace rocket testing site. So, even the inevitable failures of some of these startups could make for interesting happenings.
Quote from: Kryten on 12/11/2015 07:35 am Another new private small launcher company, this time in China.Is there a report or news piece somewhere whats this about ? Just a website, so far
Another new private small launcher company, this time in China.
What I'm interested in is XS-1. Less $5 million price, but 400-1400kg payload to LEO. 10 launches in 10 days. That's what reuse can do.
Well, considering they won't need to be building dozens upon dozens of engines and large first stages all the time, I'd say Masten would be able to do it with a similar headcount as Rocketlab. But with higher payload.
There are perfectly good reasons for NASA to invest in small satellite launch technology. Weighing in the neighborhood of 50 to 400kg, small satellites have become one of the hottest areas of aerospace. Demand has increased for launch vehicles that can deliver these payloads to a Sun-synchronous orbit 400km or more above the Earth’s surface. For now, though, these smaller payloads must “ride share” with larger satellites on more powerful rockets. This can often delay their launch for a year or more.Naturally the market has reacted to this, and more than half a dozen companies have been developing private launch systems to meet the demand. Proposals range from launching traditional rockets from the ground to setting them off from airplanes or balloons high in the atmosphere. It is a marketplace teeming with private capital. This seems like the opposite of what space technology, created to address areas the “industry cannot tackle today,” was intended to support.