THE AUTHORITATIVE GUIDE

TO GLOBAL SPACE ACTIVITY

2 0 2 2 Q1

2022 MAIDEN FLIGHTS | LATEST U.S. WORKFORCE DATA | NATION IN REVIEW: SOUTH KOREA

2 Q1 —The Space Report 2022 | The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity | www.TheSpaceReport.org
 Q1
S PAC E I N FRASTR U CTU R E

Despite his concern, Gilmour Space Systems has had some notable milestones. Founded in 2013, the company is develop-
ing a hybrid rocket that in 2016 used 3D-printed fuel, and in 2018 and 2022, had test fi rings that proved signifi cant thrust
Introduction | With 15 new launch vehicles expected to make maiden
capabilities.2
flights this year, 2022 is set to be the busiest year for new rockets since the
dawn of the Space Age. The firms involved span from industry standards Another dozen firms had previously announced plans to launch new vehicles in 2022. Some faced hurdles that delayed
Arianespace and ULA to new firms with only a few dozen workers. launches and others have folded, according to Space Foundation research from publicly available information. But the 15
new launch vehicles most likely to take off this year make 2022 the busiest publicly announced launch year of the Space Age
Experts say the activity has boosted space investment and could cut
and the most ambitious year ever for commercial efforts untethered to government-backed space programs, according to
future launch costs for satellite builders. Space Foundation research. Until late March, when Blue Origin announced New Glenn would push to 2023, the count had
been 16 debuts.
SpaceX’s Starship, shown on the Moon in this NASA illustration, is poised to make its first flight in 2022.
Credit: NASA New Entrants Aim for Space
Eris, designed to send about 700 pounds into low Earth orbit, would be Australia’s first native-built rocket to deliver a
satellite to space. Other nations, however, have long used Australia for their space needs, including NASA and its Deep
Record Number of New Launch Vehicles Set for 2022 Debut Space Net-work antennas, and the United Kingdom, which made its first launches from Australian launchpads.
From a few dozen “boffins” in a shop south of Brisbane, Australia, to more than 25,000 workers across 43 American states “I think we have made good use of our backyard for other nations,
working on the Artemis program,1 there’s a lot riding on the 15 new launch vehicles from seven nations expected to fly to but now it’s time for Australia to step up and provide space technolo-
orbit in 2022. Th e launch vehicles refl ect the diversity of the industry, from massive vehicles designed for flights to the Moon gy for the rest of the world,” Gilmour said.
and beyond to small rockets planned to lob bread-box sized satellites to orbit.
In Germany, where Wernher von Braun first inspired the Space Race,
Some vehicles are expected to deliver CubeSats, further expanding worldwide access to space with small launch vehicles that rocket scientists are hard at work in Augsburg’s Rocket Factory. The
punch through the atmosphere with modest payloads. At the other end of the spectrum are the most powerful rockets the firm’s RFAONE is planned to lift 3,500 pounds to orbit this year.
world has seen — Boeing’s Space Launch System, SpaceX’s Starship, and United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur — each
designed to deliver spacecraft to the far reaches of the solar system. “Germany is known for its great engineering and technical achieve-
ments across many industries. This is what drives us,” said Jorn
None of them will get off the launchpad Spurmann, Rocket Factory’s chief commercial officer.
without worry.
But even Germanic pride makes way for what’s a worldwide ambi-
“Statistically, we have a low chance of tion. Rocket Factory has employees from 30 nations at work on
success,” admitted Adam Gilmour, whose their rocket.
firm, Gilmour Space Systems in Helens-
vale, Queensland, plans to launch its Eris “We see ourselves as a group of world citizens, which pushes jointly
rocket in the next few months. His “bof- for the implementation of a game-changing product that will help
fins”, a local term for technical experts, improve our planet,” Spurmann said.
expect success. But Gilmour knows there is
an element of risk with any launch. The company’s first launch will carry a payload for Ukraine’s Lunar
Research Service that’s set to test ground-to-orbit communications,
“I hope we can get a long way into space the company said.
and into orbit before something bad hap-
Shown in the Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle Assembly Building, the Space Launch Rocket Factory also has launches under contract from German
Australia’s first home-made launch vehicle, the Eris, from Gilmour Space Systems, is planned for a 2022 maiden flight. pens,” he said. System towers to more than 320 feet. It’s set for a 2022 launch.
Credit: Gilmour Space Systems Credit: NASA satellite-builder OHB.

1 Q1 —The Space Report 2022 | The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity | www.TheSpaceReport.org 2 Q1 —The Space Report 2022 | The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity | www.TheSpaceReport.org
 Q1
S PAC E I N FRASTR U CTU R E

Giants Dream Big the mission. Other tests on the ground have verified that 13 small satellites planned for the initial launch will work in space,
In a February event broadcast live on the internet, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said his massive rocket designed to deliver including five spacecraft designed to return lunar data.
more than 100 tons to low Earth orbit is necessary to avoid a fate similar to dinosaurs, whom he points out are no longer
here because they had no planetary backup plan.3 Reaching space hasn’t been easy for the Space Launch System and Starship. The NASA launch vehicle has been in develop-
ment for 11 years and has drawn congressional ire for delays and cost overruns. Musk started talking about building a launch
“Why build a giant reusable rocket? Why make life multi-planetary?” Musk said. “I think this an important thing for the vehicle like Starship in 2005, and the rocket has run through an extensive series of tests, including a few failures.
future of life itself.”
Musk sees more challenges ahead as mankind reaches for Mars. “It will be extremely difficult and dangerous and tough,”
Musk’s Starship stands 40 stories tall, boasts an estimated 17 million pounds of thrust, and already has been reserved for a he said.
private lunar fly-by. It carries 33 engines in its first stage, which Musk said could be refueled and launched as often as twice
an hour. Old Firms Highlight New Technology
Most of the workers at United Launch Alliance weren’t born when the first Atlas rocket flew in 1957. Now in its fifth genera-
Musk said he plans eventually to launch it several times a day, making possible his dream of a sustainable colony on Mars. tion, Atlas remains an industry standard for reliability. But at 65, the Atlas is finally headed to retirement. ULA executives say
“Starship is capable of doing that — it is capable of getting a million tons to the surface of Mars,” he said. they toyed with the idea of keeping the Atlas name around for their newest offering. But instead of carrying the moniker of
a mythological titan who held the heavens aloft, the new launch vehicle, with its two massive mainstage BE-4 motors and as
Slightly smaller but nearly as ambitious is NASA’s Space Launch System, which is set to launch the Artemis I mission in many as six solid rocket boosters, is appropriately named for the ancient god of fire: Vulcan.
April. The uncrewed Artemis I mission will test the agency’s Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft together
for the first time.4 Vulcan is planned to replace ULA’s main rocket lines, Atlas and Delta. It brings the single-core simplicity of the Atlas V and
the power of the Delta IV Heavy, which uses three liquid-fu-
The Space Launch System, with 8.8 million pounds of thrust, pairs solid boosters with a liquid-field core, and will carry eled rockets strapped together to lift payloads of more than
Lockheed Martin’s Orion capsule, which first flew to space in 2014 but faces its first full-up test with its intended rocket. 31 tons to low Earth orbit.

“It’s a big deal for NASA,” Lockheed Martin spokesman Gary Napier said. “Without question it’s exciting.” The new Vulcan has been picked by the U.S. Space Force to
launch military satellites, a contract which Christopher Eller-
The unmanned test of the SLS is expected to lead to a series of crewed missions to the Moon. The agency has said it plans in horst, the firm’s director of strategy, business development
2024 to land the first astronauts on the moon since the Apollo landings. The first crewed test missions for the launch vehicle and sales, said was won by cutting launch costs.
are expected as soon as 2023. But first, the mas-
sive rocket must demonstrate its capability in a “How we did it is basically the cost savings to move down to
series of uncrewed tests. In March, NASA pre- a single core booster,” he said.
pared its first full-up test ahead of the launch.
Like their smaller competitors, ULA is betting big on a suc-
The wet dress rehearsal will be the final major cessful first flight.
test for the Artemis I mission and will ensure
the rocket, spacecraft, ground equipment, The Vulcan and its re-engineered Centaur upper stage are
and launch team are “go” for launch. The full heading higher than most launch vehicles venture for an
rehearsal was the latest in a series of testing inaugural voyage, with plans to ferry Astrobotics Peregrine
milestones for the launch vehicle, including a lunar lander, the first commercial Moon mission.
September test of ground systems that included
retracting umbilical cords from SLS and a series “This rocket is a Swiss Army knife,” Ellerhorst said. “It does
Engineers and technicians with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency conducted a full dress
Australia’s first home-made launch vehicle, the Eris, from Gilmour Space Systems, is planned for a 2022 maiden flight. of tests in December that verified software for all the missions.”
Credit: Gilmour Space Systems rehearsal in 2021 to prepare for this year’s planned launch of its new Mitsubishi H3 launch vehicle.
Credit: JAXA

3 Q1 —The Space Report 2022 | The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity | www.TheSpaceReport.org 4 Q1 —The Space Report 2022 | The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity | www.TheSpaceReport.org
 Q1
S PAC E I N FRASTR U CTU R E

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency hopes it has found its own rocket for every “You look at the new entrants and existing firms coming out with new offerings, competition is generally a good thing,”
mission in the new Mitsubishi H3.5 Coykendall said. “All that typically brings down costs, which benefits anyone with interest in accessing space.”

“H3 is under development to be a successor to H-IIA and H-IIB so that Japan can main- Development of new launch vehicles is one factor that helped draw a record $14.5 billion in private investment to space
tain its autonomous access to space to launch satellites and probes including important infrastructure firms last year, helping drive growth, he said.
missions for the government,” the space agency stated in a news release. “We are eager to
launch commercial satellites every year as well.” Coykendall says the variety of new launch vehicles from diminutive to mammoth will allow satellite builders to pick a path
to space that best meets their needs.
Like other launch vehicles in the class of 2022, the H3 is poised for its first launch this
year after a series of delays in development. Small firms could draw the eye of major industry players if their launch vehicles lift off as planned.

“My guess is some of the big players will watch this and wait to see where winners and losers start to appear and look for
Mitsubishi is one of Japan’s oldest launch vehicle firms, starting with license-built ver-
acquisition possibilities,” Coykendall said.
sions of American rockets in the 1970s before producing all-Japanese designs.

And these days, there are more uses for launch vehicles than ever before. In addition to hauling satellites, astronauts, and
“JAXA and its prime contractor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), and other related
space station parts to orbit, launch vehicles are already carrying tourists and could soon haul globetrotting commuters.
companies are all hands on deck from the development phase to leverage their experi-
Arianespace is set for a 2022 maiden flight of its new ences to renovate the whole system for producing a low cost, flexible and reliable rocket,”
Ariane 6 launch vehicle. “You have companies looking at whether you could use space to get halfway round the world in an hour, ” he said.
Credit: NASA JAXA stated on its website.

Tom Roeder is a Space Foundation senior data analyst and editor.

France’s oldest launch vehicle builder is also offering up an all-new
Contact him at [email protected].
rocket in 2022.
Editor's Note: Print editions of The Space Report were on press before Blue
Arianespace announced plans for an April test launch of the Ariane 6, Origin announced its delay of New Glenn. Those editions still list the
a long-planned replacement for the venerable Ariane 5, which began number of debuts at 16.
launching payloads to space in the late 1990s.6

“The Ariane 6 launcher will provide Arianespace with new levels of

efficiency and flexibility to meet customers’ launch services needs across
a full range of commercial and institutional missions,” the firm stated
on its website. “To ensure Arianespace’s continued competitiveness, this
next-generation launcher has been conceived for reduced production
costs and design-to-build lead times, all while maintaining the quality
and reliability that have made Ariane 5 an industry leader.”

New Entrants Bring Competition

John Coykendall, who heads the aerospace practice for consulting giant
Deloitte, says every new launch vehicle is a welcome development in
the skyrocketing space marketplace, which set records in 2021 with 134
Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch vehicle was among 16 rockets planned successful launches to orbit deploying 1,730 spacecraft.
for first orbital launches in 2022. Its debut was delayed until 2023,
dropping the debut count to 15.
Credit: Blue Origin

25 Q1 —The Space Report 2022 | The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity | www.TheSpaceReport.org 26 Q1 —The Space Report 2022 | The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity | www.TheSpaceReport.org
 Q1
S PAC E I N FRASTR U CTU R E

New Launch Vehicles Expected to Make 2022 Maiden Flights

Sixteen new launch vehicles were expected to debut this year. In late March, Blue Origin delayed its debut
to 2023. Here’s a look at New Glenn and the class of 2022, including their expected capabilities:

Space Launch System New Glenn (Delayed to 2023) RS 1 RFAONE

Builder: Boeing Builder: Blue Origin Builder: ABL Space Systems Builder: Rocket Factory Augsburg

Nation: United States Nation: United States Nation: United States Nation: Germany

Customer: NASA Customer: Commercial Customer: Commercial Customer: Commercial

Thrust at launch: 8.8 million pounds Thrust at launch: 3.8 million pounds Thrust at launch: 109,000 pounds Thrust at launch: 180,000 pounds

Payload to low Earth orbit: 95 tons Payload to low Earth orbit: 49 tons Payload to low Earth orbit: 3,000 pounds Payload to low Earth Orbit: 3,000 pounds

Maximum payload range: Maximum payload range: low Earth orbit Maximum Payload Range:
Maximum payload range: Interplanetary
Geosynchronous orbit Geosynchronous orbit

Starship H3 ZK-1A Skyrora XL

Builder: SpaceX Builder: Mitsubishi Builder: CAS Space Builder: Skyrora

Nation: United States Nation: Japan Nation: China Nation: United Kingdom

Customer: Commercial Customer: JAXA, Commercial Customer: Commercial Customer: Commercial

Thrust at launch: 16 million pounds Thrust at launch: 2.9 million pounds Thrust at launch: Undisclosed Thrust at launch: 140,000 pounds

Payload to low Earth orbit: 110 tons Payload to low Earth orbit: 31 tons Payload to low Earth Orbit: More than Payload to low Earth Orbit: 700 pounds
2,200 pounds
Maximum payload range: Interplanetary Maximum payload range: Maximum Payload Range:

Geosynchronous orbit Maximum Payload Range: Undisclosed Sun-synchronous orbit

Vulcan Centaur Terran 1 ZK-2 Spectrum

Builder: United Launch Alliance Builder: CAS Space Builder: ISAR Aerospace
Builder: Relativity Space
Nation: United States Nation: China Nation: Germany
Nation: United States
Customer: Defense Department, Customer: Commercial Customer: Commercial
Customer: Commercial
Commercial
Thrust at launch: 207,000 pounds Thrust at launch: Undisclosed Thrust at launch: 150,000 pounds
Thrust at launch: 4.2 million pounds
Payload to low Earth Orbit: More than Payload to low Earth Orbit: 2,200 pounds
Payload to low Earth orbit: 3,760
Payload to low Earth orbit: 30 tons 7,000 pounds Maximum payload range:
pounds
Maximum payload range: Interplanetary Maximum Payload Range: Undisclosed Sun-synchronous orbit
Maximum payload range:
Sun-synchronous orbit
Ariane 6 SD-3 Orbex Prime
Builder: Arianespace Eris Builder: China Academy of Launch Vehicles Builder: Orbex

Nation: France Nation: China Nation: United Kingdom

Builder: Gilmour Space
Customer: ESA, Commercial Customer: Commercial Customer: Commercial
Nation: Australia

Thrust at launch: 4.3 million pounds Thrust at launch: Undisclosed Thrust at Launch: 48,000 pounds
Customer: Commercial

Thrust at launch: 100,000 pounds Payload to low Earth Orbit: More than Payload to low Earth orbit: 330 pounds
Payload to low Earth orbit: 24 tons
3,000 pounds
Payload to low Earth orbit: 700 pounds Maximum payload range: low Earth orbit
Maximum payload range: Interplanetary
Maximum Payload Range: Undisclosed
Maximum payload range: low Earth orbit

5 Q1 —The Space Report 2022 | The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity | www.TheSpaceReport.org 6 Q1 —The Space Report 2022 | The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity | www.TheSpaceReport.org
 Q1
E N D N OTE S

Record Number of New Launch Vehicles Set for 2022 Debut

1 NASA.”Marshall Economic Impact, 2019. h�ps://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/

atoms/files/g-150680_fy15_msfc_econ_impact_flyer.pdf. Accessed Feb. 3, 2022.
2 Gilmour Space. h�ps://www.gspacetech.com/about. Accessed March 3, 2022.

3 Musk, Elon. “Starship Update,” h�ps://www.spacex.com/updates/. Accessed Feb 11,

2022.
4 NASA. “NASA Looks Ahead in 2022: Artemis, X-59, Lunar Explora�on, and More
h�ps://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-looks-ahead-in-2022-artemis-x-59-lunar-
explora�on-and-more/. Accessed Feb. 14, 2022.

Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch vehicle is among 16 rockets planned for first orbital
launches in 2022. Credit: Blue Origin

5 JAXA. “Japan to lead in space transporta�on technology,” h�ps://global.jaxa.jp/

projects/rockets/h3/. Accessed Feb 10, 2022.
6 Arianespace, “Ariane 6” h�ps://www.arianespace.com/ariane-6/. Accessed Feb. 11,
2022.

7 Q1 —The Space Report 2022 | The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity | www.TheSpaceReport.org 8 Q1 —The Space Report 2022 | The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity | www.TheSpaceReport.org
 Knowledge
Fuels
Opportunity
In the fast-moving space industry,
information equals advantage.

The Space Report delivers the data, insights, and analysis you need to
understand a monumental new era of space exploration and investment.

• Global analysis of government and commercial space spending

• Launch activity and spacecraft deployment data
• Quarterly updates of capital investment, mergers, and acquisitions
• Coverage of new space sectors and developing industries

For frequency of content and breadth of knowledge,

The Space Report is your go-to source.

Learn about subscription options and view free content at

thespacereport.org
For on-demand signature programming with industry leaders and
influencers, register at spacesymposium365.org