During the early years of spaceflight only nation states had the resources to develop and fly spacecraft. Both the U.S. space program and Soviet space program were operated using mainly military (ex Airforce) pilots as astronauts. During this period, no commercial space launches were available to private operators, and no private organization was able to offer space launches.
In the 1980s, the European Space Agency created Arianespace, the world's first commercial space transportation company, and, following the Challenger disaster, the American government deregulated the American space transportation market as well. In the 1990s the Russian government sold their majority stake in RSC Energia to private investors (although it has recently renationalized the Russian space sector in 2013–2014.[1]) These events for the first time allowed private organizations to purchase, develop and offer space launch services; beginning the period of private spaceflight in the late-1980s and early-1990s.
There are 10 major companies that build large, commercial, Geosynchronous satellite platforms:
Company | Location | No of satellites launched | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Airbus Defence and Space | Europe (France/Germany/Spain/United Kingdom) | formerly Astrium | |
OHB SE | Europe (Germany/Italy/Luxembourg/Sweden/France/Belgium) | ||
Boeing Defense, Space & Security | United States | formerly Boeing Integrated Defense Systems | |
INVAP | Argentina | 6 | INVAP is developing new satellites ARSAT-3 SAOCOM SABIA-Mar |
JSC Information Satellite Systems | Russia | 1200[2] | formerly NPO PM |
Lockheed Martin Space | United States | ||
Northrop Grumman | United States | formerly Orbital ATK | |
Raytheon | United States | One of worlds largest space sensor providers. | |
Maxar Space | United States | 285[3][4] | formerly Space Systems Loral, formally SSL, subsidiary of Maxar Technologies |
Thales Alenia Space | Europe (France/Italy/United Kingdom/Spain/Belgium/Germany/Poland) | formerly Alcatel Alenia Space |
In addition to those above, the following companies have successfully built and launched (smaller) satellite platforms:
Company | Location | No of satellites launched | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
AeroAstro, Inc. | United States | Closed [5] | |
Argotec | Italy | CubeSats and Small Satellites | |
British Aerospace | United Kingdom | purchased Marconi Electronic Systems, to form BAE Systems | |
CBERS | Brazil China | 5 | |
EnduroSat | Europe (Bulgaria) | CubeSats and Nanosatellites | |
Fairchild Space and Electronics Division | United States | sold to Matra Marconi Space, then sold to Orbital Sciences Corporation | |
Fokker Space & Systems | Netherlands | then Dutch Space, now part of EADS Astrium Satellites | |
GAUSS Srl | Italy | 9 | CubeSats and Small Satellites (<50 kg) |
General Electric | United States | then merged into Martin Marietta, now part of Lockheed Martin | |
Hawker Siddeley Dynamics | United Kingdom | now part of EADS Astrium Satellites | |
Dhruva Space[6] | India | Nano Satellites (>8 to <35 kg) | |
GomSpace[7] | Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden | Nano and Micro Satellites (1 to 50 kg) for global tracking, Earth observation and science, communications, constellations, Internet-of-Things, defence and security, and deep-space missions. | |
Hera Systems | United States | 1 | Smart satellite bus provider. Spacecraft manufacturing and integration services, for small satellites (50-250kg). |
Hughes Aircraft | United States | purchased by Boeing | |
IHI Corporation | Japan | ||
In-Space Missions[8] | United Kingdom | Launching first satellite in Q2 2020 | |
Innovative Solutions In Space[9] | Netherlands | 490 | CubeSats |
Libre Space Foundation[10] | Greece | 3 | CubeSats, PocketQubes |
NPO Lavochkin | Russia | ||
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Japan | ||
Northrop Grumman Space Technology | United States | ||
NanoAvionics | United States | 90 | CubeSats and Small Sats |
Pumpkin, Inc.[11] | United States | CubeSat Kit | |
OneWeb | United Kingdom | 394[12] | OneWeb satellite constellation |
Planet Labs | United States | 298[13] | Earth observation satellite constellation |
Philco Ford | United States | then Ford Aerospace, now Space Systems/Loral | |
QinetiQ Space N.V. | Belgium | 3 | then Verhaert Space |
Rockwell | United States | purchased by Boeing | |
RKK Energiya | Russia | produced Sputnik 1 | |
Satrec Initiative | Korea | 5 | |
SPAR Aerospace | Canada | 8 | bought by MacDonald Dettwiler |
Sierra Space | United States | formerly SpaceDev, owned by Sierra Space | |
SpaceX | United States | 1848[14] | largest commercial satellite constellation operator in the world with the Starlink constellation[15] |
Spectrum Astro | United States | bought by General Dynamics | |
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd | United Kingdom | now part of Airbus Defence & Space | |
Swales Aerospace | United States | bought by Alliant Techsystems, now Orbital ATK | |
TRANSPACE Technologies[16] | India | On-Board Satellite Systems Fabrication, Testing and Reliability Analysis | |
TRW | United States | 199 nearly 200
[17] |
now part of Northrop Grumman Space Technology |
TsSKB-Progress | Russia | manufacturer of Bion-M, Foton-M, Resurs-P and Persona | |
Xovian[18] | India | Nanosat and services | |
York Space Systems | United States | 1[19] | Up to 250 kg spacecraft production and launch services[20] |
Yuzhnoye Design Bureau | Ukraine |
Company | Location | No. of successful launches | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Arianespace | Europe (France/Germany/Italy/Belgium/Switzerland/Sweden/Spain/Netherlands/Norway/Denmark) | 244/256 | Ariane (rocket family) |
Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering | Netherlands | Suborbital student-built sounding rockets | |
ISRO | India | 65/72 | PSLV, GSLV, LVM3, SSLV |
COSMOS International | Russia/Germany | commercialises the Kosmos-3M launcher | |
Eurockot Launch Services | Europe (Germany/France/United Kingdom/Spain/Netherlands/Russia) | 29/31[21] | owned by EADS Astrium |
International Launch Services | United States Russia |
||
Iranian Space Agency[22] | Iran | 4/15 | |
ISC Kosmotras | Russia/Ukraine/Kazakhstan | ||
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Japan | 81/85 | |
Northrop Grumman | United States | 81/90 | manufacturer of Antares, Minotaur and Pegasus |
PLD Space | Spain | manufacturer of Miura 1 and Miura 5 | |
Rocket Lab | New Zealand/United States | 20/23 | manufacturer of Electron launch vehicle |
SpaceX | United States | 116/121 | Falcon 1, Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy |
Sea Launch | United States/Russia/Ukraine/Norway | 32/36[when?][citation needed] | provider of Sea Launch and Land Launch service |
Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau | Russia | commercialises the Volna and Shtil' launchers | |
NPO Mashinostroyeniya | Russia | commercialises the Strela launcher | |
Starsem | Europe (Germany/France/United Kingdom/Spain/Netherlands/Italy/Belgium/Switzerland/Sweden/Norway/Denmark/ and Russia) | commercialises the Soyuz launcher | |
The Spaceship Company | United States | Reusable spaceship launched from the White Knight Aircraft for space tourism and zero-g experimentation | |
TsSKB-Progress | Russia | manufacturer of Soyuz launch vehicle | |
United Launch Alliance | United States | 147/148 | |
Vaya Space | United States | formerly known as Rocket Crafters, manufacturer of Dauntless[23] | |
United Start Launch | United States Russia |
commercialises the Start-1 launcher[24] | |
Virgin Galactic | United States | Space Tourism Using 'The Spaceship Company spacecraft | |
Virgin Orbit | United States / United Kingdom | 3/4[25] | manufacturer of LauncherOne air-launched launch vehicle |
Blue Origin | United States | manufacturer of the New Shepard suborbital rocket and New Glenn | |
Independence-X Aerospace | Malaysia | manufacturer of DNLV launch vehicle | |
Borneo SubOrbitals | Malaysia | manufacturer of unnamed suborbital rocket | |
Relativity Space | United States | 1?/1 | 95% 3D printed rocket |
Stoke Space | United States | Areospike 2nd stage engine |
Commercial wings of national space agencies:
Company | Location | No. of probes launched | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Brown Engineering Company | Huntsville, AL United States | Rover for Apollo lunar program | |
China National Space Administration | China | for Chang'e 3 program in 2013 | |
Deep Space Industries | Mountain View, CA United States | ||
Lavochkin | Russia | rovers for Lunokhod 1 | |
NASA JPL | United States | for ATHLETE lunar missions, Mars Pathfinder, Opportunity and Spirit rover | |
ISRO | India | Chandrayaan-1, Chandrayaan-2, Mars Orbiter Mission | |
Planetary Resources | Redmond, WA United States | Arkyd-100 for asteroid searching |
Company | Location | Production | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Orbital Machines AS | Trondheim, Norway and Berlin, Germany | Electric propellant pumps for launch vehicles and spacecraft | |
Comat | Flourens, France | Space Equipment mechanism expert, from design to MAIT (Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration, Test).
SmallSat off-the-shelf solutions including ADCS (reaction wheels range), SADM, deployable structure and electric propulsion (Plasma Jet Pack) |
COMAT’s reaction wheels and deployable antennas have been selected for use on the upcoming Kineis IoT constellation. |
Astro- und Feinwerktechnik Adlershof GmbH (de) | Berlin, Germany | Design, Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration and Verification of small satellite buses (TET-1, launched July 2012) and components. Attitude control components (reaction wheels, gyro system, GPS receiver, magnetometer)
Supplier of space systems and ISS payload NightPod |
|
Bradford Space | New York, NY | Supplier of green propulsion systems, rocket engines, Sun sensors, reaction wheels, acceleration measurement units, and astronaut workstations. | Over 100 thrusters in-space |
Dynetics | Madison, AL United States | used on Sundancer and Ares I | |
Tethers Unlimited, Inc. | Seattle, WA United States | De-Orbiting Devices, Deployable Solar Arrays, Propulsion Systems, Radio Communications, and Robotics | |
RUAG Space | Switzerland | Structures, Fairings, Mechanisms, Opto-Electronics | |
AB 360 Space | United States | manufacturer of CLEPS-C100 Combined electric Propulsion systems, Adjustable Thruster Engines for Mars travel | |
GAUSS Srl | Rome, Italy | Complete Space Platforms, Nanosatellites Structures and Deployers, OBDH, EPS, Radio Communications, Solar Panels and Groundstation systems | |
GomSpace | Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden | 1U to 16U platforms and structures, propulsion systems, software-defined radio, S-/X-/VHF band antennas, ADCS suite, electrical power systems, solar panels, on-board computers, ground equipment etc. | |
Andrews Space | Seattle, WA United States | ||
Jena-Optronik (de)[26] | Jena, Germany | Attitude and Orbit Control Systems (AOCS) sensors: star sensors, Sun sensors, rendezvous- and docking sensors; Optical space instruments and components: multi-spectral imager (e.g. JSS 56 for RapidEye satellite constellation), efficient radiometer (e.g. METimage), electronic as well as opto-mechanical subsystems and components for operational Earth observation (e.g. for Copernicus Sentinel missions) | |
Pumpkin, Inc | San Francisco, CA United States | CubeSat Kits[27] | |
Mynaric | Munich Germany | Laser communication equipment for airborne and spaceborne communication networks, so called constellations. | |
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace[28] | Kongsberg Norway | Kongsberg Adaptive Rotational Mechanism Assembly [KARMA] in configuration as Solar Array Drive Mechanism (SADM), used on Rosetta (spacecraft), Mars Express, Venus Express, Sentinel 1, Sentinel 3 and BepiColombo MTM.
Drive electronics for Sentinel 1 and BepiColombo MTM. Booster attachment struts, including separation function, for Ariane 5. |
|
Production Corporation Polyot | Russia | ||
Rocketstar Robotics Inc[29] | Camarillo, CA United States | Space Interferometry Mission Optical Shutter Mechanisms | |
Sierra Space | United States | formerly SpaceDev, owned by Sierra Space | |
Clyde Space | United Kingdom | Power System Electronics, Batteries, Solar Panels, Attitude Control Systems | Acquired by ÅAC Microtec[30] |
Astro Aerospace[31] | Carpinteria, CA United States | Deployable mechanisms, spacecraft structures, AstroMesh deployable reflector, deployable booms, large and small aperature mesh reflector antennas, STEM (Storable Tubular Extendable Member), hinge mechanisms, | A special business unit of Northrop Grumman |
TRANSPACE Technologies[32] | Bangalore, KA India | On-Board Satellite Sub-Systems Fabrication, Testing, Reliability Analysis and PCB Design | Approved Vendor for ISRO Satellite Center, India |
RadioBro Corporation[33] | Huntsville, Alabama United States | Small Spacecraft Communications, Flight Readiness Testing, Training Services[34] | |
Howco Additive Manufacturing[35] | Houston, Texas, United States | 3D Printing Aerospace Components in In718 and Titanium | |
Solar MEMS Technologies[36] | Spain | Sun Sensors for Satellites[37] | |
krypton technology solutions | United States | Small Spacecraft components, on-orbit servicing,1U to 24U spacecraft buses | |
CisLunar Industries | United States | Power supplies for electric propulsion systems and space hardware |
Company name | Country | Engine | Engine type | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dawn Aerospace | Netherlands | B20, B1, SatDrive, Cubedrive | Bi-Propellant, Cold Gass | Nitrous Oxide based, turnkey propulsion systems |
ArianeGroup | Lampoldshausen, Germany | S10, S20, S200, S400
CHT-1N, CHT-20N, CHT-400N RIT-10, RIT-2x |
propellant and Monopropellant Thrusters, Gridded Ion Thrusters | Main manufacturer for Propulsion Systems, Equipments and Services in Europe, serving major space projects like ATV, ORION-ESM, ExoMars, JUICE, MTG, GEO and EO satellites with Propulsion Solutions. |
Comat | Flourens, France | Plasma Jet Pack | Vacuum Arc thruster ; Modular installation (PPSU + Nozzles) | To be used on @Isispace and @U-space platforms for French and European missions.
Modular Thruster with up to 4 nozzles per PPSCU. |
AB 360 Space | Washington DC, United States | CLEPS X-100, CLEPS C100 | hybrid Thrusters, Combined Liquid Electric Propulsion Systems, Methane/ Oxygen Ion Thrusters | Uses Electric and Liquid Propulsion simultaneously for space propulsion for LEO/MEOsatellites [38] |
Moog-ISP (In Space Propulsion) | Westcott, Buckinghamshire United Kingdom
Niagara Falls, NY United States |
All Forms of Chemical Propulsion including Main Apogee Engines and AOCS Thrusters | Bipropellant and Monopropellant Product Families Include: LEROS, MONARC Thruster, LTT Thruster | Division of Moog Inc. |
Bradford Space | New York, NY | LMP-103s thrusters,
Water based thrusters |
LMP-103s green monopropellant propulsion systems & thrusters,
COMET water based propulsion systems |
>100 thrusters on flight satellites |
Busek | Natick, Massachusetts United States | BHT-200, BHT-1500, BHT-20k, BET-1, BmP-220, BIT-1, BIT-3, BIT-7, uPPT-3 | Hall-effect thruster, Gridded Ion, Electrospray, micro Pulsed Plasma, Green Monopropellant, Electrothermal, Hollow Cathodes, Field Emission Cathode | TacSat-2, FalconSat-5, FalconSat-6, ST-7/LISA Pathfinder. Licensed technology for BPT-4000 aboard AEHF 1, AEHF 2, AEHF 3. Propulsion options ranging from CubeSats to GEO Communications Satellites to Asteroid Redirect Mission Spacecraft.[39] |
Aerojet Rocketdyne | Rancho Cordova, California United States | Numerous | liquid rocket engine, Solid rocket engine, Hall-effect thruster, Gridded Ion thruster. | |
Hanwha Aerospace | South Korea | KRE-075, KRE-007 and Monopropellant Thrusters | Bipropellant, Monopropellant and Motor | Hanwha aerospace manufacturing liquid rocket engine for KSLV-II and monopropellant enginesd spacecrafts (Lunar Orbiter, KOMPSAT series, etc.). The engines are co-developed with KARI. |
American Rocket Company | United States | hybrid rocket | intellectual property acquired by SpaceDev | |
CU Aerospace | Champaign, IL United States | PUC, CHIPS, PPT-11 | MCD[40] / Resistojet / PPT[41] | Small satellite / CubeSat Propulsion Modules [42] |
VIPER | liquid rocket engine | reusable rocket engine [43] | ||
Ad Astra Rocket Company | Webster, TX United States | VASIMR | magnetoplasma | may be used for future Mars missions |
Enpulsion GmbH | Wiener Neustadt, Austria | Propulsion Systems for Cubesats, Small Sats, and Medium/Large Satellites | Field Emission Electric Propulsion | Enpulsion is commercializing a technology that has been developed for ESA science missions for more than 10 years.[44] |
PLD Space | Spain | TREPEL family | used on Miura Rockets | |
Reaction Engines Ltd. | Oxfordshire, England United Kingdom | SABRE | combined cycle precooled jet engine and closed cycle rocket engine | planned to be used in Skylon |
LIA Aerospace Ltd. | England United Kingdom | KX11 | Pressure Fed, bipropellant, green, non-toxic, storable regen cooled | used in Zonda 1.0 |
Sierra Space | United States | VR35K-A[45] | hybrid rocket, liquid rocket engine[46] | Commercial space subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation |
SpaceDev | Poway, CA United States | hybrid rocket | acquired by Sierra Space; used on SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo | |
SpaceX | Hawthorne, California, United States | Merlin / Raptor / Draco / Kestrel | liquid rocket engine | used on Falcon Rockets |
ArianeGroup | Vernon, France | Vinci / Viking / Vulcain / HM7B | liquid rocket engine | used on Ariane rockets |
NPO Energomash | Russia | liquid rocket engine | used on R-7, Molniya, Soyuz, Energia, Zenit, Atlas III, Atlas V, Angara, Antares | |
KBKhA | Russia | liquid rocket engine | used on Soyuz, Proton, Energia | |
KBKhM | Russia | liquid rocket engine | used on Vostok, Voskhod, Zenit, Soyuz, Progress, Salyut 1, Salyut 4, Salyut 6, Salyut 7, Mir Core Module, Zvezda, GSLV Mk I | |
NIIMash | Russia | liquid rocket engine | used on Almaz, Buran, Briz-M | |
TsNIIMash | Russia | used on STEX | ||
Kuznetsov Design Bureau | Russia | liquid rocket engine | used on N1, Soyuz-2-1v, Antares | |
OKB Fakel | Russia | Hall-effect thruster | used on SMART-1, LS-1300 | |
Proton-PM | Russia | liquid rocket engine | used on Proton, Angara | |
Keldysh Research Center | Russia | |||
Voronezh Mechanical Plant | Russia | liquid rocket engine | used on Vostok, Voskhod, Molniya, Soyuz, Proton, Energia, Luna | |
Yuzhnoye Design Office / Yuzhmash | Ukraine |
|
|
used on
|
Independence-X Aerospace | Malaysia | ID-1, ID-2, ID-3 and unnamed 2-stage rocket engine for DNLV | solid rocket motor and liquid rocket engine | used on ID-1, ID-2 and DNLV rocket |
Borneo SubOrbitals | Malaysia | hybrid rocket | used on yet-to-be-named rocket | |
Apollo Fusion | United States | ACE, ACE Max | Hall-effect thruster | To be used on Spaceflight, Inc.'s Sherpa-LTE space tug[47] |
Benchmark Space Systems | United States | Starling, Halcyon, Peregrine | Warm gas thruster, High-test peroxide thruster, Hypergolic thruster | To be used on Spaceflight, Inc.'s Sherpa-LTC space tug[47] |
ThrustMe | France | NPT30, I2T5 | Gridded ion thruster,[48][49] Cold gas thruster[50] | first in-orbit demonstration of an electric propulsion system powered by iodine[51][52] |
Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List of spacecraft manufacturers.
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