Finance

Four teams are competing for a U.S. Air Force contract to develop an advanced launch vehicle that consists of a reusable first stage and an expendable second stage booster. The winner of the Hybrid Launch Vehicle competition is expected to produce a vehicle that will be capable of launching payloads into space and having the...

A U.S. federal district court dismissed Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX)’s anti-trust lawsuit seeking to halt the proposed launch partnership proposed by Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp., saying that SpaceX does not yet have legal standing to sue the two aerospace giants. Instead, Judge Florence-Marie Cooper of the Central District of California wrote in her...

The four largest U.S.-based space companies, Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp. and Raytheon Co., generally posted strong performances in 2005 thanks to continued strong government work and a resurgence in commercial space activity. Boeing Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), which includes the company’s space operations, reported a 1 percent increase in revenue...

by Nick Mitsis As the CEO of Arianespace, Jean-Yves Le Gall shepherded the European launch services company in 2005 through one of the most challenging periods it has faced since its inception 25 years ago. Arianespace entered 2005 at its lowest point and ended the year on a significant high note, all while building its...

By Nick Mitsis and Jason Bates In a year dominated by IPOs and high-profile mergers, it is easy to characterize 2005 as a year of beginnings instead of a year of accomplishments. True, those business ventures that grabbed daily headlines are signs of greater things to come, but some significant events will indeed hallmark 2005,...

By Nick Mitsis With new management entering the communications satellite industry, business is centering more on exploiting its current assets and less on introducing new hardware. Once again, Via Satellite takes a closer look at the industry developments that shaped business endeavors in 2004. Allowing the numbers to tell the tale, the research results, along...

By Nick Mitsis As we were going to press, the two largest U.S. military contractors, Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp., announced the formation of a joint venture, United Launch Alliance, which combines their once competitive rockets into one family to provide launch services for the U.S. Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space...

By Julie Blondeau An atmosphere of stiff competition remains overhead as global launch service providers continue to race against time and win as many contracts as possible in today’s lackluster market. More importantly, however, each of the players is now more focused on customer satisfaction than ever before. There is no room for error in...

by Owen D. Kurtin The re-election of President George W. Bush means that a continued heightened governmental focus on the security aspects of the satellite business to the potential detriment of commercial considerations may be expected. The principal flashpoint for security and commerce issues is technology exports. The commercial health of the satellite manufacturing and...

by Nick Mitsis Even though increased business applications have emerged within key markets for executives in the global satellite communications industry, the operational side of the satellite arena is slated to remain the same for the near term. From satellite operators and spacecraft manufacturers to the launch service providers, the trends of 2004 will likely...