Ariane 5 space rocket on launchpad
Ariane 5 by Arianespace

A launch service provider is a type of company that uses launch vehicles and related services provided by a Launch Agency, including furnishing the launch vehicles, launch support, equipment and facilities, for the purpose of launching satellites into orbits or deep space.[1] There are over 100 launch companies from all over the world. These companies and their launch vehicles are in various stages of development, with some (such as SpaceX, RocketLab, and ULA) already in regular operation, while others are not.[2]

In 2018, the launch services sector accounted for $5.5 billion out of a total $344.5 billion "global space economy".[3]: 9  It is responsible for the ordering, conversion or construction of the carrier rocket, assembly and stacking, payload integration, and ultimately conducting the launch itself. Some of these tasks may be delegated or sub-contracted to other companies. For example, United Launch Alliance formally subcontracted the production of GEM solid rocket motors for their Delta II and Delta IV (Medium version) rockets to Alliant Techsystems. (Both vehicles are now retired.)[4][5] An LSP does not necessarily build all the rockets it launches.

A document central to successful launch service provision is the Interface Control Document (ICD), a contract that specifies the integration and mission requirements responsibilities across the service provider and the service solicitor.[6]

In some cases, an LSP is not required to launch a rocket. Government organizations such as the military and defense forces may conduct the launch themselves.

Current launch service providers

Corporate

Former Corporate

Governmental and State-owned

References

  1. ↑ "Launch Services Definition: 101 Samples". Law Insider. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  2. ↑ "Launch Database | SpaceFund". Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 The Annual Compendium of Commercial Space Transportation: 2018 (Report). United States Government (Federal Aviation Administration). January 2018. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  4. ↑ "Propulsion Products Catalog" (PDF). Orbital ATK. 5 April 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  5. ↑ Clark, Stephen (14 September 2018). "Engineers say goodbye to society-changing Delta 2 rocket – Spaceflight Now". Spaceflight Now. Pole Star Publications. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  6. ↑ Federal Aviation Administration (2012). "Commercial Space Transportation: 2011 Year in Review". In Freeman SO, Butler KI (eds.). Commercial Space Industry: Manufacturing, Suborbitals and Transportation (This is an edited, reformatted and augmented version of the Federal Aviation Administration, HQ-121525.INDD, dated January 2012.). Space Science, Exploration and Policies. New York: Nova Science Publishers. ISBN 978-1-62257-303-5. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Moore, Maurice H. (February 2011). Department of Defense Spacelift In A Fiscally Constrained Environment (MS (Master of Military Art and Science) thesis). U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
  8. ↑ https://www.stokespace.com
  9. ↑ https://www.abqjournal.com/news/local/rocket-carrying-cremains-crashes-after-launching-from-spaceport-america/article_e0eedfcc-cf87-5596-a11f-33e8c364cf1d.html
  10. ↑ https://www.virgingalactic.com
  11. ↑ Brooks, Timothy A. (1991). "Regulating International Trade in Launch Services". High Technology Law Journal. 6 (1): 66. eISSN 2380-4734. ISSN 0885-2715. JSTOR 24122277. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  12. ↑ Heiney, Anna (2018-04-10). "LSP Overview". NASA. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  13. ↑ "Mandate | NSIL". www.nsilindia.co.in. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
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