Commercial Markets Falter–Government Drives Satellite Demand

A recently released report from Northern Sky Research concludes that after an average of 90 satellites were launched annually during 1995-2000, an average of 60 launches a year is expected for 2002-2007. The military sector is expected to boost the industry’s revenue base in terms of military-specific satellite orders. In addition, the military as a customer base will likewise drive commercial satellite deployment as it relies increasingly on commercial-based systems to supplement its communications and remote sensing data needs.

In revenue terms, the military sector is expected to account for the largest share due to the high-price that military systems fetch. However, military systems are largely national programs, and contractors for those programs in almost all cases belong to the country or nation deploying a military satellite system. In the global marketplace, it is difficult to link revenue growth solely to military payloads, except in the United States, which is the largest purchaser and user of satellite systems for defense purposes, according to Northern Sky.

More information on the report, Global Demand for Satellite Systems in the Commercial, Military and Science Satellite Sectors can be obtained from Northern Sky Research’s Web site http://www.northernskyresearch.com or by calling 407-352-5295.