Trends in Chemical Rocket Systems and New Approaches to Launching Satellites

Abstract

The world of satellite applications has been turned upside down for several reasons in the past decade. The advent of small satellites and large-scale constellations, high throughput satellites, new types of Earth stations employing metamaterial and electronic beam forming, and new launcher design and operation – including reusable vehicles – have all served to reinvent the world of space. The common factors these innovations share are innovative thought and entrepreneurial initiative. The significant changes that have come to the launch industry, on which the broader space industry depends, is truly a key part of the reinvention of the space industry. This chapter examines the most important of these changes and also sets the stage for an exploration of the further changes yet to come, which will be explored in chapter eleven.