1. Space Exploration Company (SpaceX) SpaceX was founded in June 2002 by Elon Musk. It has become a global leader in commercial aerospace. SpaceX has independent production capabilities. The company’s characteristic is that it uses industrial-grade and civilian-grade components instead of aerospace-grade components to produce rockets. The “Falcon” series of reusable launch vehicles it produces significantly reduces launch costs. In addition to the “Falcon” series of rockets, SpaceX is also developing super-heavy “starship + super-heavy” combined carriers to enhance space transportation capabilities. SpaceX is not just a rocket and spacecraft developer and manufacturer, but has opened up the entire industry chain. Its “Xinglian” plan, operated as a satellite application service provider, has begun to provide services to users around the world. Its Star Shield, developed for military applications, is designed to serve the U.S. military and can monitor intelligence globally. It will greatly enhance the ability of U.S. defense and intelligence agencies to quickly discover potential targets around the world. 2. Oneweb Oneweb was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in the UK. It is a high-speed broadband network builder dedicated to launching low-orbit small satellites to build communication networks and provide high-speed, low-latency Internet access services. In 2017, Oneweb’s first submission to the FCC stated that the “OneWeb” satellite constellation consists of 720 low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites with an altitude of 1,200km and 1,280 medium-Earth orbit satellites with an altitude of 8,500km. These satellites use V-band to achieve global coverage. In February 2019, the first six satellites of the Oneweb constellation were launched into orbit. In March 2020, due to the company’s insufficient financial capacity and the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, Oneweb’s capital chain was broken, and the company submitted an application for bankruptcy protection. Subsequently, the British government and India’s Bharti Global Company reached an acquisition agreement with Oneweb, investing US$500 million each. In addition to capital injections from investors such as SoftBank Group, Hughes Network Systems, and Eutelsat, the “One Network” constellation has received financial support.
3. Boeing
Boeing was founded in July 1916 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, USA. As a major service provider to NASA, Boeing is a major manufacturer of the Saturn launch vehicle, the space shuttle and the International Space Station. It is also the manufacturer of the existing Delta 4 rocket, GPS satellites, multiple types of early warning and communications satellites, and the CST-100 spacecraft.
4. Lockheed Martin
Founded in 1912 and headquartered in the United States, Lockheed Martin is one of the world’s largest security and aerospace companies. In the aerospace field, Lockheed Martin is a manufacturer of aerospace products such as the Atlas series launch vehicles, Orion spacecraft, and Martin series satellites.
5. Blue Origin
Blue Origin was founded in 2000 and is a commercial space company owned by Amazon CEO Bezos. On July 20, 2021, Blue Origin completed the first manned launch of a suborbital spacecraft. Currently, Blue Origin is also researching and manufacturing reusable rockets in order to reduce the total launch cost.
6. Airbus Defense and Space
As the world’s second largest aviation company and one of the top ten defense companies in the world, Airbus Defense and Space’s main business in the aerospace field includes commercial launch vehicle development, satellite development, satellite data development, deep space exploration and related cutting-edge technology development. The company is a manufacturer of Ariane launch vehicles, SPOT series remote sensing satellites and various communication and scientific exploration satellites.
7. Rocket Lab
Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Long Beach, California, Rocket Lab is a low-cost launch service provider that develops small launch vehicles, mainly attracting small satellite customers. Rocket Lab makes a small reusable rocket called Electron that can carry 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of payload to low Earth orbit.
8. Relativity Space
Relativity Space is an aerospace company that designs, develops and manufactures 3D printed rockets. By fusing 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and autonomous robotics, Relativity provides a streamlined supply chain to build rockets with 100 times fewer parts in less than 60 days.
9. Orbital Communications Company (Orbcomm)
Orbcomm is the world’s leading IoT (satellite Internet of Things) communications company. It has narrowband commercial communication systems covering the world. It has established gateway stations in more than 180 countries and provides end-to-end satellite Internet of Things services and solutions.
