Space Industry Bulletin June 2019
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VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 6 www.spaceindustrybulletin.com Space Industry Bulletin Market analysis and business intelligence for the space community Liability, insurance and charging under the Space Industry Act he Government has sidered appropriate, should be published its response to set. This will take into account Tthe call for evidence to the current ongoing work on the inform further policy develop- methodology for setting the min - CONTENTS ment of the Space Industry Act imum TPL party liability insur - 2018 provisions on liability, ance requirement for launch ac - Industry news 2 insurance and charging. tivities from the UK. l Smaller businesses set to The Government issued the With regard to insurance, the benefit from changes to export financing call for evidence so that it can proach to charging – for example, Government believes there is Will mega-constellations be gather evidence, data and infor - fixed fees or hourly rates. sufficient capacity in the market l enough to sustain the small launch mation that will assist in formu - With regard to liabilities re - to provide TPL insurance for a market? lating the policy. lated to launch, the Government specified amount for the types l £2 million funding to develop Evidence and information was is now in the process of com - of launch operations proposed UK spaceport capability sought on the impact on the UK missioning further detailed, from the UK. l New SpaceFibre standard launch market of operators hold - robust and independent research Work across Government is provides high speed data transfer ing unlimited liabilities, the ap - to inform a decision as to now ongoing to develop the de - onboard spacecraft proach to setting the minimum whether a limit on an operator’s tailed regulations to implement l UK and US collaborate on space amount of third-party liability in - the Act with industry and other liabilities for launch from the UK weather project surance required for UK launch is justified. It will also examine interested parties. l National space programme will activities and the preferred ap - the level at which a limit, if con - l Full report page 8 bring coherence to the sector Space legislation 6 l One nation or all nations: who Manufacturers must evolve to should make the laws for space? l Liability, insurance and charging meet growing satellite demand under the Space Industry Act he future demand for jority of this demand being for al manufacturers adapting to a Funding and financing 12 mega-constellations will small satellites. Frost and Sullivan new systems integrator role. The l Space investment by the Tdrive a five-fold increase anticipates that more than 90% current typical timeline of 1-3 numbers, 2018 in the numbers of satellites being of satellite launch demand will years to manufacture a single produced by 2030, with the ma - be generated by some 30 com - satellite needs to change, with Satellite market analysis 14 mercial constellation satellite op - satellite manufacturers needing l Manufacturers must evolve to erators for their new installation to be able to complete multiple meet growing satellite demand and replacement missions. satellites on a weekly basis and l Just 23 satellites launched in Q1, All of this has significant im - handle order books of hundreds. but more expected in Q2 plications for satellite manufac - Frost and Sullivan argues that ture, which Frost and Sullivan ar - the market will open up to many Space sector deal 11 gues must evolve into a serial new manufacturing entrants. ESA invitations to tender 18 production model, with tradition - l Full report page 14 SA Catapult year end report 20 THIS ISSUE IN NUMBERS... £Fun5din1g r.a6isemd by Num1b1er o,f7 sa4tell6ites to Gov£ern2me0ntm finance Satellit2e la3 unches in R$eve1nu3e g.en7erbatend by In$ves3tm.e2nt ibn spn ace businesses working be launched between to support Spaceport Q1, but big increases satellite operators in start-up businesses with the SA Catapult now and 2030 Cornwall expected in Q2 data revenues in 2018 Page 20 Page 14 Page 11 Page 16 Page 17 Page 12 Industry news Smaller exporters set to Will mega- benefit from financing enough to he race is on among maller exporters in the businesses to bring UK space sector can now Tincreased small launch Sbenefit from increased capability to the market, but support after UK Export doubts remain as whether Finance (UKEF) introduced even the volume ambitions of changes that mean a more the satellite mega- relaxed line on supporting constellation operators will be projects led by overseas enough to sustain so many contractors. As long as there is launch providers. at least 20% UK content – an Many commentators essential aspect for financing – agree that there are far UKEF will now consider more launch vehicles applications from lead under development contractors outside the UK. than ca be Peter Maplestone, UKEF contracts by providing financing, long terms of 2-10 supported senior underwriter for space attractive financing terms, and years and capital markets under even says that this will facilitate to fulfil orders by supporting refinancing. the most projects that support smaller working capital loans. It also Further, UKEF can help UK optimistic exporters and sub-contractors. works to ensure that UK companies access working “It opens the door to help exporters get paid by insuring capital to fulfil a contract, giving companies further down the against buyer default. them the ability to take on more supply chain,” he adds. UKEF can give overseas contracts and increase their The mission of UKEF is to buyers attractive long-term turnover. This includes ensure that no viable UK export financing, giving UK exporters a guarantees of up to 80% to fails for lack of finance or more competitive offering. It UK companies’ banks who lend insurance from the private can provide support through working capital for export sector, while operating at no net guarantees of up to 85% to orders under the export cost to the tax payer. “We banks, and through direct working capital scheme (EWCS) support any form of export as lending to overseas buyers that and guarantees of up to 80% to long as there is a return for the source from the UK. Flexible UK companies’ banks for UK,” says Mr Maplestone. UKEF financing options include contract bonds under the bond helps UK exporters to win Islamic finance, local currency support scheme (BSS). UK and US collaborate on space weather he UK will develop a (NOAA) in the United safe and secure from potential new instrument for States. UK Space impacts of space weather.” Tuse on space weather Agency CEO Graham In the next 5 years NOAA and monitoring spacecraft to Turnock said: “Space ESA with support from the UK observe the solar wind, in weather has the are planning to launch two order to protect astronauts, potential to cause complementary solar satellites and ground severe disruption to monitoring satellites. The UK’s infrastructure. critical satellite and ‘plasma analyser’ will fly on Thanks to €8 million ground-based ESA’s L5 space weather (£7million) funding from the infrastructure, so it’s monitoring mission to observe UK Space Agency, allocated essential that we solar wind. through the European Space Space weather is a global take steps to mitigate this threat The UK Space Agency is Agency (ESA), scientists at concern, so the UK Space through improving our ability to working with ESA and the US’ UCL’s Mullard Space Science Agency and ESA will collaborate forecast extreme solar activity. NOAA on their complementary Laboratory (MSSL) will develop closely on science, space and “The space weather mission L1 space weather monitoring a cutting edge ‘plasma analyser’ ground systems technology with projects our global influence by spacecraft. RAL Space in the UK which, when placed in deep the National Aeronautics and partnering with Europe and the is also working on optical space, will give early warning of Space Administration (NASA) USA, driving and protecting instruments for space weather imminent, damaging space and National Oceanic and future UK knowledge and missions under the current ESA weather. Atmospheric Administration prosperity, and keeping Britain programme. 2 www.spaceindustrybulletin.com Industry news £2m funding to develop -constellations be UK spaceport capability sustain launchers? uture spaceports can apply for a industry projections, with a of the small launch sector, Fshare of £2 million panellist at the Satellite 2019 with panellists at Satellite to support plans for small conference in May going so far 2019 predicting no more than satellite launch from as to say that, of the 100-plus 30-35 launches a year for aircraft and sub-orbital companies currently most of the next decade. With flight from the UK, developing small launch launch companies aiming at Science Minister Chris vehicles, he expected perhaps 8-12 launches per year, that Skidmore announced at only as many as seven to implies a market for just four the end of last month. recipients can then use this survive. There are concerns companies. The assertion was Sites such as Newquay in research to develop an individual for the industry, too, outside that two of those would be in Cornwall, Campbeltown and business case for offering Europe and two in the US. Glasgow Prestwick in Scotland, horizontal launch services from As a final caution, they and Snowdonia in Wales are the UK in the early 2020s, better noted that the commercial already developing their sub- positioning themselves to launch market was orbital flight, satellite launch and engage with potential suppliers flat, at best, and spaceplane ambitions. The £2 and investors. was likely to stay million strategic development Claire Barcham, director of that way for the fund, opened by the UK Space commercial space at the UK next few years.