Space Launch Corporations
 

NASA Corp

The 2015 Space Business Bill began the process of dividing NASA into a number of smaller organisations, owned by NASA Corporation. Large sections of the agency were scrapped as focus was turned towards launch services and communications satellites. The result, after massive layoffs, bitter infighting and reorganisation was NASA Corp (formally named the National Aerospace Consortium but usually called NASA Corp or just NASA).

NASA Corp has several subsidiaries: NASA Launch (satellite launches), NASA Communications, NASA Remote Viewing, NASA Satelite Services (repair of satellites), NASA Development and NASA Surveying. The different subsidiaries have varying relations to each other, but work well as a whole.

NASA Corp is the only launch firm able to launch humans into space at present, thanks to its fleet of 4 Venturestar shuttles bought at discount from Lockheed-Martin .

Owners: United States Government (controlling interest), Lockheed-Martin Corp, Boeing, InfoStar, Raytheon, United Technologies Corporation, USSAT.

NASA Corp is not popular in the space movement, which is filled with lay-offs and disappointed idealists. Private launch firms in the US are also not particularly fond of how it gets tax breaks and various help from the government and big corporations; most have long since stopped trying to compete in the US and gone international.

European Space Operations & Arianespace

After the breakup of EU the European Space Agency remained, but split into the European Space Network and European Space Operations. The Network retained the scientific aspects, developing into an internationalised network. Operations did the actual launch and control of satellites, and was originally dominated by French, German and British interests. However, in 2028 Germany left the organisation, preferring to deal with other launch services. Currently ESO is strongly French-national, although some collaboration with Britain, Italy and Spain occurs.

ESO still runs the ESA launch site at Kourou in French Guyana, where it launches satellites commercially using Ariane 7 and 8 rockets. Ariane 7 is intended for heavy launches, while Ariane 8 is a microsatelite dispenser. The main rival of ESO in the heavy launch segment is NASA Corp; they dominate the market for heavy space hardware. In the microsatelite business ESO has strong competition from other companies, but it has profitable long-term contracts with Alcatel, Eurosat and Newtelcom.

N-Space

Nauru based private launch company, specialising in sealaunching of microsatelites. Founded in 2011, it focuses mainly on launching microsats and nanosats using small specialised boosters exploiting the latest advances in materials technology and innovative designs such as symbiotic boosters and sandwhich satellites.

N-Space’s launch platform Rigel has been deliberately designed to be able to launch boosters under harsh conditions; N-space is trying to capitalise on the closure of Plesetsk to get as many polar orbits as possible. They also have strong ties to the Kodiak Launch complex in Alaska.

Sealaunch International

The original sealaunch company. Sealaunch began with Boeing, RSC Energia, Kvaerner of Norway and NPO Yuzhnoye of Ukraine as partners. As they demonstrated the concept of launching from ocean platforms, other companies like N-Space followed but Sealaunch remains the leader in the technology. When the situation at Baikonur became too chaotic in the 2020’s, RSC Energia Rockets moved most of its activities to the sealaunch venture.

Currently most launches are done from Odyssey III, an artificial movable island in the Pacific, although the Energia section is trying to break in into the heavy satellite business with the Neutron booster launched from Kwajalein on the Marshall Islands.

Rocket System Corporation

Japanese launch service company, founded 1990. It has been having a steady business at the Tanegashima and Kagoshima launch complexes with its H-III and H-IV series of launch vehicles. It is mainly catering to Japanese telecommunications and survey satellite customers.

Moluccan Satelite Launch Inc

After the 2019 split, the Indonesian Institute of Aeronautics and Space eventually ended up as Moluccan Satelite Launch, owned by a number of Indonesian states and sponsored by internationalist  telecom corporations. It has headquarters in Pontianak and a launch site on Pulau Gebe, as well as a number of ocean platforms.

MSL is a widely diversified launch corporation, mainly launching communications satellites. It also does joint launches from Kwajalein and Alcantara.

International Launch Services

ILS was formed in June 1995 with the merger of Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, the marketing and mission management division for the Atlas vehicle, and Lockheed-Khrunichev-Energia International, the marketing and mission management arm for commercial Proton launches. When NASA Corp was formed, Lockheed sold off ILS to an international consortium, the Orbital Networks Group.

ILS does not have a launch site of their own, but instead launches from Cape Canaveral, California Spaceport, Baikonur and especially Sriharikota (Andra Pradesh, India).

Launch Sites

Several launch sites have been discontinued:

Originally it was planned that the Baikonur launches would move to Plesetsk after the Proton booster had been finished, but a combination of political complications and the emerging climate changes delayed the move. Eventually Plesetsk was closed instead.

Baikonur was closed in 2025 after increasing political turmoil in Kazakhstan and the sandstorms caused by the climate changes. The Kazak republic was disintegrating into a number of mini-states, and although several internationalist groups were taking an interest in supporting a Baikonur republic nothing came of it. In the face of infrastructure uncertainties, roving marauders and desertification Baikonur could not compete well with the sea launch companies.

Esrange in Sweden remains a monitoring station, funded by the ESO, but does not perform any launches.

New Launch Sites:

Alcantara in Brazil has grown up, and is mainly used by Orbital and Fiat Avio.

Kwajalein Missle Range  is the current site for the Sealaunch-Energia Neutron project.

Montana Spaceport (Great Falls and Malmstrom AFB) is run by the Montana Space Development Authority. It is mainly used for testing Venturestars and occasional private launches.