The Rise, Fall, and Rise of U.S. Satellite Launchers

March 18, 2013 6:30 AM

1990-1993: Post-Shuttle
The space shuttle carries commercial satellites until the 1986 Challenger disaster. Europe?s Ariane 4 fills the void by launching multiple sats at one time.

1996-1998: A Bubble Inflates
Iridium, Globalstar, and Orbcomm constellations launch. But these firms go bankrupt and others dissolve, gut-punching launch providers planning for a boom.

2002-2004: Telecom Pops
The U.S. launch industry retreats to the government market. Russia and Europe prepare to pick up the slack by making investments in spaceports and rockets.

2006-2008: Foreign Surge
Russia and Europe assert their dominance as commercial launchers. The U.S. position is worse than shown: The 2008 spike includes five tiny sats on one failed SpaceX launch.

2011-2012 Game Changers
SpaceX contracts halt the U.S. decline. China reenters the market as more foreigners make sats, sidestepping U.S. export laws on spaceflight hardware.

Source: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/rockets/the-rise-fall-and-rise-of-us-satellite-launchers-15222856?src=rss

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