Analysis

Shaping the U.S. Space Launch Market

Extending America's Advantage

Michael O’Connor

and Kathleen Curlee

February 2025

The United States leads the world in space launch by nearly every measure: number of launches, total mass to orbit, satellite count, and more. SpaceX’s emergence has provided regular, reliable, and relatively affordable launches to commercial and national security customers. However, today’s market consolidation coupled with the capital requirements necessary to develop rockets may make it difficult for new competitors to break in and keep the space launch market dynamic.

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