Why some satellite companies still choose boutique, dedicated launches

The useful part

Some satellite companies still have an appetite for boutique launch services. This is despite the blistering launch cadence we've seen around the world in recent years, led by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Theoretically, competition will lead to lower prices and allow the best to rise to the top.

How it works

• ADRAS-J2 follows a highly successful demo mission called ADRAS-J that approached and inspected the same Japanese rocket body in 2024.
• We had teams go out there to do due diligence research at their manufacturing site and talk to a lot of their technical leaders.
• We have two big missions set up on Isar, and we're excited to see them continue to improve and show success and get to launch with them.
• Rideshare doesn't really work if you're trying to launch into a very specific orbit and reach a specific satellite for servicing.
• What did you learn, and how did that prepare you for going up to grab that rocket?

What to take from it

Yes, choosing a launch provider that hasn't proven consistent success yet is definitely a risk. So it's no surprise satellite operators are cheering the success of a new launch provider. This was especially the case a few days ago, when Germany's Isar Aerospace reached orbit for the first time with its Spectrum rocket.

Example or evidence

• Several European companies are running to catch up with Isar, including another German startup, Rocket Factory Augsburg, and Spain's PLD Space.
• Just days earlier, Astroscale announced it had signed a deal with Isar to launch a mission as soon as next year.
• The companies announced a contract in March for the Spectrum rocket to launch a different Astroscale satellite.
• Astroscale signed these agreements with Isar before the company achieved orbit.

Details worth keeping

Customers in any sector will, of course, usually welcome competition. It seems like the customers buying launch services were right. SpaceX is dialing back its Falcon 9 launch program, and there is no certainty about when SpaceX's reusable next-generation super-heavy-lift rocket, Starship, will carry anything to orbit besides the company's own Starlink satellites.

Related coverage

• Arstechnica: "We felt like now is the time to pour gas on that fire."
• Arstechnica: "From here on, Starlink missions out of Florida will fly on Starship."