Big business opportunities are brewing in the cosmos.
Commercial planes, by comparison, rarely fly at altitudes much higher than 14km.
40% off TNW Conference!
The lower altitude alone has numerous attractions.
The pandemic highlighted the need for high-speed connectivity.
Investments have surged as the use cases have expanded.
As a result, the number of projects in low-Earth Orbit is increasing rapidly.
LEO satellite systems have emerged as a powerful way to provide that high-speed, low-latency connection.
The territorial advantage
Europe already has a functioning equatorial spaceport in South America.
The Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, has been in operation since 1968.
Despite being 6,000km from mainland Europe, the site has a propitious location.
The achievement would provide more mere than bragging rights.
A homegrown spaceport would be a powerful launchpad for a budding LEO sector.
The location also has advantages.
Further benefits would arise from the proximity to Europes production sites, talent, and connected industries.
For the first time, the EU will have its own telecommunications constellation.
The war in Ukraine has exposed another lure of LEO.
The EU is now developing its own satellite constellation.
Known as IRIS2, the web link is designed to maintain internet access during crisis situations.
The $6.2 billion project is scheduled to launch by 2027.
The bloc has grand plans to compete with Starlink and thats just one of Europes LEO ambitions.
All around the continent, countries are trying to reap the benefits.
The first one to reach orbit will get an edge over the competition.
Booming demand is expected for their services.
Among them is a Spaceport Cornwall in the UK.
In January, the site tried to senda satellite into orbit, but the attempt ended in bitter disappointment.
After the Virgin Orbit rocket was successfully released, an engine malfunction brought the mission to a premature close.
The failure was a painful setback for Britains launch sector, but by no means a fatal one.
Further sites are under development in Sutherland, Argyll, Prestwick, Snowdonia, and the Outer Hebrides.
The UK does, however, face growing competition from spaceports in the EU.
Most are located in isolated areas of Northern Europe, where populations are sparse and the sea is close.
Swedens Spaceport Estrange, for instance, recently became Europesfirst mainland satellite launch facility.
The inaugural take-off from the complex is expected in late 2023.
The commercial aspect is real: there is also an abundance of micro-satellites which will require missions from micro-launchers.
The UKs attempt last month, for instance, added impetus to the local industry.
Among them isOpen Cosmos, an Oxfordshire-basedstartupthat had a satellite onboard the Virgin Orbit rocket.
We delivered a satellite in record time, Open Cosmos CEO Rafel Jorda Siquier told TNW.
Despite the ill-fated launch, Jorda believes that the UK is now a major player in LEO.
And its very important that we keep our team there and keep developing our capabilities.
Those capabilities now encompass downstream applications, data and information services, and the upstream satellite and launch capabilities.
According to Jorda, the UKs small satellite technology is particularly impressive.
We now have a truly pan-UK capability.
Another drawing card is a strong supply chain for space hardware and software.
Until the British sites are operational, Open Cosmos will take off from other nations.
But in the near future, Jorda plans further launches from the UK and France.
The nice thing about the launch landscape at the moment is that its very diverse, he said.
We will have our own SpaceX.
A further asset for France is Arianespace, Europes leading satellite space launch company.
The aerospace giant is currently developing a new reusable rocket, called Maia, to challenge SpaceX.
The launcher is due to be operational by 2026.
In other words, we will have our SpaceX, we will have our Falcon 9.
PLD Space in Spain plans to provide another.
The company aims to produce Spains first rocket to reach orbit as well as Europes first reusable launch vehicle.
But PLD Space is confident it can serve the booming demand for small payload launches to LEO.
The firm recently launched its seventh and eighth missions on SpaceXs transporter mission.
Points of differentiation could also compensate for some shortcomings.
Rejuvenating the old world
The barriers to LEO are lowering, but they remain daunting.
Startups providing satellite internet services face further obstacles.
The second biggest challenge is to obtain the regulatory approvals in every country in which they want to operate.
The growing demand for sparse skills is also difficult to meet.
Further problems have emerged in Europes commercial launch sector.
As well as lacking spaceports, the continent is short on effective rockets.
The rocket shortage could delay the launch of satellites into LEO.
Consequently, Europe has become reliant on commercial launch partners, particularly SpaceX.
Europe does not have the SpaceX Mafia effect.
Europe does not have the SpaceX Mafia effect, she said.
The growing popularity of LEO has created another problem.
Theres only so much space in space and its starting to get crowded.
As these numbers grow, so do the risks of crashes and light pollution.
These threats can also scupper business plans.
Haverty hopes regulators exert greater pressure on the major operators than their smaller challengers.
Most operators are doing their best to keep space clean.
European startups have pitched a range of solutions, fromAI monitoring of debristotowing satellites out of LEO.
Insiders hope the spaceport race will further stimulate the sector.
The capital flooding into LEO suggests the prospects are strong.
Across the continent, investors are betting that a rising tide will lift all spaceships.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
