Why Launch Customers Can’t Quit SpaceX
Satellite operators want competition to get their products launched. But yearslong delays by other rocket makers keep pushing them into Elon Musk’s orbit.
Helene Huby wanted to be part of European space history. As chief executive officer of the Exploration Co., a developer of reusable space capsules, she helped her startup win an inexpensive slot last year on the Ariane 6, intended to be Europe’s answer to Elon Musk’s SpaceX rockets. The Ariane 6 was to make its debut in 2020, but the European Space Agency missed that date following technical problems and cost overruns. Huby’s mission was scheduled for late 2022, but the ESA also missed that. The agency now aims for next June or July.
Huby, unwilling to risk more delays, turned to NewSpace India Ltd., the corporate arm of India’s space agency, and reserved a flight for early 2024—despite a higher price tag and less familiarity with NSIL. Still, getting out of launch limbo makes the trade-offs worthwhile. “We need to show to investors that our technology is working,” Huby says, “and the only way to show that is to fly it.’’