How Big Is the Large Satellite Launch Market?
The U.S. government plans to launch some 34 "national security payloads" into orbit aboard heavy lift rockets in the next few years (from 2022 through 2026). To do that, it's going to need to find a few good rockets to launch 'em -- and Boeing (NYSE: BA), Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), SpaceX, and Blue Origin have all offered to help.
Not out of the goodness of their hearts, though. These launch contracts will be worth billions of dollars of revenue to the winners.
The plan is currently to pick just two companies to conduct all these launches (freezing the other bidders out). But to check its thinking on this point, the U.S. Air Force recently asked the RAND Corp. think tank to consider whether it might be advisable to hire a third launch provider to keep around as a backup option.
Source Fool.com
