Federal Aviation Administration The Annual Compendium of Commercial Space Transportation: 2012 February 2013 About FAA About the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation The Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA AST) licenses and regulates U.S. commercial space launch and reentry activity, as well as the operation of non-federal launch and reentry sites, as authorized by Executive Order 12465 and Title 51 United States Code, Subtitle V, Chapter 509 (formerly the Commercial Space Launch Act). FAA AST’s mission is to ensure public health and safety and the safety of property while protecting the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States during commercial launch and reentry operations. In addition, FAA AST is directed to encourage, facilitate, and promote commercial space launches and reentries. Additional information concerning commercial space transportation can be found on FAA AST’s website: http://www.faa.gov/go/ast Cover art: Phil Smith, The Tauri Group (2013) NOTICE Use of trade names or names of manufacturers in this document does not constitute an official endorsement of such products or manufacturers, either expressed or implied, by the Federal Aviation Administration. • i • Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation Dear Colleague, 2012 was a very active year for the entire commercial space industry. In addition to all of the dramatic space transportation events, including the first-ever commercial mission flown to and from the International Space Station, the year was also a very busy one from the government’s perspective. It is clear that the level and pace of activity is beginning to increase significantly. Although they are certainly never pleasant, severe budget constraints can sometimes be a stimulus for innovation. Without sacrificing our commitment to AST’s safety mission goals, our challenge was to do something we’ve always done, but in a different way; to increase AST’s value-added to the industry we regulate and encourage. One of the results is this report, entitled “The Annual Compendium of Commercial Space Transportation: 2012”. In previous years, AST has produced many informational reports on the state of the established and emerging industry segments directly related to commercial space transportation. These reports contained valuable information and were widely cited in the trade press. Going forward, AST plans to continue to provide industry with helpful information. But to have a bigger impact and to minimize overlap and sometimes repetitive reporting, the information will be produced and released under the cover of a single document, serving at once as reference, status report, and forecast. The 2012 Compendium is structured in a way to tell the commercial space industry story: first describing the important participants (including orbital and suborbital launch vehicles, spaceports, and beyond-Earth-orbit commercial ventures), next covering the environment in which they must operate (including regulations, policies, and financing), and finally providing a status of the industry’s progress and an outlook for what the future may portend. Although not all innovations are necessarily beneficial, we are confident that industry participants and observers will find this new approach for industry reporting to be a positive change. We realize that this first edition may not be perfectly constructed. It is our full intention that the content and efficacy of this document will evolve with each annual issuance. The role that you, the reader, plays in this continuous improvement process is vital. If you feel that topics or sections are missing from this report, please let us know. If you think that new terms should be included in the definitions section, please let us know. If you have ideas for ways to improve the report in any way, please let us know. We value the feedback you provide to us, just as we hope you will value the information we are providing to you. Together, we can all contribute to making 2013 a very successful year in the commercial space industry. Sincerely, Dr. George C. Nield Associate Administrator FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation • ii • Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. 1 YEAR AT A GLANCE ..............................................2 ORBITAL LAUNCH VEHICLES ......................................5 U.S. COMMERCIAL ORBITAL LAUNCH VEHICLES . .6 Orbital: Antares . 7 Orbital: Pegasus XL . 8 Orbital: Taurus. .8 SpaceX: Falcon 9. .9 ULA: Atlas V. 10 ULA: Delta IV. .11 UH, Sandia, and Aerojet: Super Strypi . .12 OTHER U.S. VEHICLES IN DEVELOPMENT WITH ORBITAL DEPLOYMENT CAPABILITY. 13 NON-U.S COMMERCIAL ORBITAL LAUNCH VEHICLES . 14 Arianespace: Ariane 5. 15 Arianespace: Soyuz 2 . 15 Arianespace: Vega. 16 CGWIC: Long March 2. 17 CGWIC: Long March 3A . 17 Eurockot: Rockot. 18 ILS: Proton M. .19 ISC Kosmotras: Dnepr. 19 JAXA: Epsilon. 20 JAXA: H-IIA/B. 20 Sea Launch: Zenit 3 . 21 OTHER NON-U.S. ORBITAL LAUNCH VEHICLES IN DEVELOPMENT. 22 SUBORBITAL REUSABLE VEHICLES ...............................23 ARMADILLO AEROSPACE: STIG AND HYPERION . 25 BLUE ORIGIN: NEW SHEPARD. 25 MASTEN SPACE SYSTEMS: XAERO AND XOGDOR. 26 UP AEROSPACE: SPACELOFT. 26 VIRGIN GALACTIC: SPACESHIPTWO. .27 XCOR AEROSPACE: LYNX. 28 OTHER SUBORBITAL VEHICLES IN DEVELOPMENT . 29 ON-ORBIT VEHICLES AND PLATFORMS ............................31 SPACEX: DRAGON. 33 ORBITAL: CYGNUS . .33 BOEING: CST-100 . 34 SIERRA NEVADA CORPORATION: DREAM CHASER . 34 BLUE ORIGIN: SPACE VEHICLE. .35 EXCALIBUR ALMAZ: ALMAZ REUSABLE RETURN VEHICLE. 35 BIGELOW AEROSPACE: BA 330 . 36 • iii • Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation LAUNCH SITES .................................................37 COMMERCIAL VENTURES BEYOND EARTH ORBIT. 43 LUNAR EFFORTS . 44 CIS-LUNAR EFFORTS . .44 NEW ENGINE TECHNOLOGIES. 45 REGULATION AND POLICY .......................................47 FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION . .49 Launch- or Reentry-Specific License. 49 Launch or Reentry Operator License. 49 Launch Site License. 49 Experimental Permit. 50 Airworthiness Certificate . 50 Class 2 or Class 3 Waiver . .50 Safety Approval. .50 Launch Indemnification. .51 Occupant Safety . 51 FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION. 51 NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION . 52 EXPORT CONTROL. .52 STATE REGULATORY ACTIONS. 53 INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION . 53 FUNDING ......................................................55 PUBLIC FUNDING SOURCES. .56 Space Transportation Infrastructure Matching Grants Program . 56 Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Transportation . 58 Commercial Crew and Cargo Transportation Development . .60 Other NASA Funding . 62 Flight Opportunities Program. 62 Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs. 63 PRIVATE FUNDING SOURCES . 64 LAUNCH DATA AND TRENDS. 65 SUMMARY OF COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION: 2012 YEAR IN REVIEW. 66 Worldwide Orbital Launch Activity. 66 U.S. and FAA-Licensed Orbital Launch and Reentry Activity. 73 Non-U.S. Orbital Launch Activities . 77 FAA Suborbital Flight Summary . 83 2012 Space Transportation Trends . 85 Five-Year Worldwide Space Transportation Trends . 85 SUMMARY OF FY 2012 YEAR IN REVIEW. .91 FY 2012 Worldwide Orbital Launch Activity. 91 FY 2012 Worldwide Commercial Launch Trends. 92 FY 2012 Commercial Launch Revenues. 93 • iv • FY 2012 FAA-Licensed Orbital Launch Summary . 94 Other FY 2012 FAA Licenses and Permits. 94 SUMMARY OF 2012 COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION FORECASTS ....95 Commercial GSO Launch Demand Forecast Results. 96 Commercial NGSO Launch Demand Forecast Results. 99 SUMMARY OF SUBORBITAL REUSABLE VEHICLES: A 10-YEAR FORECAST OF MARKET DEMAND. 105 Suborbital Reusable Vehicle Markets . .105 Methodology . 106 Results. .106 Demand by Market . .107 Demand by User. .109 Revenue . 110 Major Uncertainties. .111 Conclusion . 112 APPENDICES. .113 WORLDWIDE COMMERCIAL VEHICLES FACTSHEETS. 114 U.S. SUBORBITAL VEHICLES FACTSHEETS. 132 COMMERCIAL ON-ORBIT VEHICLES AND PLATFORMS FACTSHEETS . .139 U.S. LAUNCH AND REENTRY SITES FACTSHEETS. .143 2012 WORLDWIDE ORBITAL LAUNCH EVENTS. ..