1、Issue BriefFebruary 2025Shaping theU.S.SpaceLaunch MarketExtending Americas AdvantageAuthorsMichael OConnorKathleen CurleeShaping theU.S.SpaceLaunch MarketExtending Americas AdvantageAuthorsMichael OConnorKathleen CurleeCenter for Security and Emerging Technology|1 Executive Summary While rocketry m

2、ay be centuries old,orbital space launch began with Sputnik in 1957.In the following decade,fueled by government funding and motivated by the“Sputnik surprise,”American space launch had a burst of activity,with more than half a dozen companies attempting orbit.1 In the decades since,however,the numb

3、er of companies responsible for space launches has ebbed and flowed.Following the early burst of activity,the number of launches and companies responsible for them decreased.By the mid-2000s,a single firm dominated the field:the United Launch Alliance.ULA was slowly displaced by then-upstart SpaceX,

4、whose pace exploded starting around 2017.Recently,a handful of would-be competitors have shown the ability to achieve orbit,successfully launching commercial and government satellites.Today,the United States finds itself in the enviable yet challenging position of world leader in launch,yet with a r

5、elatively consolidated market.The country conducts 50 percent more launches than it did at the peak of the space racebut five of every six U.S.launches come from a single provider,SpaceX.With a tranche of new companies vying to challenge SpaceXs dominance,it will be crucial for federal officials to

6、carefully calibrate policies that shape the market.As with any national security-relevant market,concentration poses risks:supply chain disruptions can threaten military capability,while government bargaining power shrinks.Likewise,a more competitive market comes with the benefits of increased innov