A launch service provider or launch vehicle provider[1] is a type of company that delivers a payload into space, including the delivery of satellites, spacecraft, cargo, astronauts, and potentially space tourists.[2] Services provided may include furnishing launch vehicles, launch support, equipment and facilities, for the purpose of launching satellites into orbits or deep space. These companies and their launch vehicles are in various stages of development, with some (such as SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and ULA) already in regular operation, while others are not.[3]
In 2018, the launch services sector accounted for $5.5 billion out of a total $344.5 billion "global space economy".[4] It is responsible for the ordering, conversion or construction of the carrier rocket, assembly and stacking, payload integration, and ultimately conducting the launch itself. Some of these tasks may be delegated or sub-contracted to other companies. For example, United Launch Alliance formally subcontracted the production of GEM solid rocket motors for their Delta II and Delta IV (Medium version) rockets to Alliant Techsystems. (Both vehicles are now retired.)[5][6] An LSP does not necessarily build all the rockets it launches.
A document central to successful launch service provision is the Interface Control Document (ICD), a contract that specifies the integration and mission requirements responsibilities across the service provider and the service solicitor.[7]
In some cases, an LSP is not required to launch a rocket. Government organizations such as the military and defense forces may conduct the launch themselves.
Current launch service providers
References
- GSA Professional Services Schedule Launch Integrated Services (SLIS) Implementation Guide GSA, General Services Administration, 15 March 2016, retrieved 14 February 2025^
- Routledge Handbook of Space Policy Routledge, 2025^
- Launch Database retrieved 2023-05-20^