SpaceX is one of the few private American aerospace manufacturers and space transportation services companies, being founded by entrepreneur Elon Musk to reduce space transportation costs and enable the colonization of Mars. SpaceX has developed the Falcon 1, Falcon Heavy, Falcon 9, and Dragon spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 and has since launched over 50 missions to space.
SpaceX is not the only company developing spacecraft and providing space transportation services, however. Several other companies are also working to reduce the cost of space travel and enable human exploration of space. This article will discuss some of SpaceX’s competitors and their spacecraft and missions.
1. Astranis
- Founded: October 20, 2015
- Headquarters: San Francisco California, USA
Need to Know
Astranis is a space organization that produces next-generation telecommunications satellites for a lower price than its competitors. It sells MicroGEO satellites, which are smaller and less expensive geostationary communications satellites that give connectivity to specific locations on the planet. Astranis raised $250 million in a Series C funding round in April 2021, valued at $1.4 billion. This round takes the total amount raised to more than $350 million.
Interesting Facts
Astranis’ key advantage is its unique MicroGeo satellites. SpaceX and other businesses are developing low-cost broadband satellite constellations in low-Earth orbit. Astranis, on the other hand, focuses on the GEO band. It has a distinct advantage in terms of placement, especially for large communications satellites. Astranis is one of SpaceX’s top satellite launch choices.
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2. United Launch Alliance
- Founded: December 1st, 2006
- Headquarters: Centennial Colorado, USA
Need to Know
Boeing and Lockheed Martin have teamed up to form ULA, a combined rocket-building enterprise. The corporation performs orbital spaceflights, provides launch services and produces rockets. ULA had roughly 2,500 people and $2 billion in revenue in 2020. ULA’s primary competitive advantage stems from its relationships with Boeing and the US government. ULA was given the award for most expensive military satellite launches in the United States for nearly a decade.
Interesting Facts
SpaceX notably took legal action against the US Air Force in 2014 over a contract that was awarded only to ULA. To circumvent legal concerns, the US military now grants several contracts to both SpaceX and ULA through competition. SpaceX’s arch-rival and longest-running rival are United Launch Alliance (ULA).
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3. Virgin Galactic
- Founded: 2004
- Headquarters: Las Cruces New Mexico, USA
Need to Know
Richard Branson, a British billionaire, created Virgin Galactic, a spaceflight company. It is a subsidiary of the Virgin Group and is involved in the development of commercial and suborbital vehicles. In terms of development and technology, the company is on par with SpaceX and Blue Origins. However, its revenue lags behind that of its main competitors. Virgin Galactic, unlike SpaceX, was not profitable in the past. It is estimated to have lost $210 million in 2020.
Interesting Facts
Branson did soar 53 miles into space on his own Virgin Galactic rocket in June 2021 and safely returned to the spaceport. This was the rocket’s first completely crewed test trip into orbit. Before beginning regular commercial operations in 2022, Virgin Galactic planned to perform and launch at least two further test flights in 2021. Around 600 fortunate space enthusiasts have already reserved their tickets, each costing $250,000.
According to ArabianBusiness.com, in 2010, Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments bought a 31.8 percent share in Virgin Galactic. They’ve formed a partnership agreement and invested $1 billion in the aerospace venture company since then. The details of what Saudi Arabia receives in return for its large investment are unclear, however, there have been some mentions of a plan to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy away from oil and toward a more diverse and innovative economy by 2030.
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4. Blue Origin
- Founded: September 8th, 2000
- Headquarters: Kent, Washington
Need to Know
Blue Origin is a renowned manufacturer of aircraft equipment. It was created by Jeff Bezos, the creator of Amazon and the world’s richest man, with a net worth of $206 billion. To fund Blue Origin, Bezos traded around $1 billion in Amazon stock. Although the company employs over 2500 people, its annual revenue is only $20 million.
Blue Origin also works with NASA, DARPA, the US Space Force, and rivals to SpaceX like United Launch Alliance. Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket made headlines when its maiden voyage journeyed into space in June 2021, with Bezos, his brother Mark, and two other crew members.
Interesting Facts
In a February letter to Amazon employees, Bezos stated that as executive chairman, he will remain active in critical Amazon initiatives while also having the time and energy I need to spend on projects like Blue Origin, the Washington Post, his Day 1 Fund, and the Bezos Earth Fund.
As a result, Bezos will be more active in Blue Origin in the future. The business intends to continue developing rockets and engines to send humans and other payloads beyond Earth’s orbit, to colonize the solar system in the future.
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5. Astra Space
- Founded: October 2016
- Headquarters: Alameda California, USA
Need to Know
Adam London and Chris Kemp created Astra in October 2016. Ventions, LLC was a tiny San Francisco-based aero research and design corporation with a 10-year history of creating aerospace technologies in collaboration with NASA and DARPA until being reincorporated as Astra Space Inc. in 2016.
Interesting Facts
From 2018 through 2020, Astra was a challenger in the DARPA Launch Challenge; first, as one of three teams, however, the Challenge organizers only referred to Astra as a “stealth startup” at the time. The other two teams withdrew, leaving Astra as the only team left in the competition. The competition required two small satellite payloads to be launched into orbit from two distinct launch sites in the United States, with a two-week gap between launches.
Astra attempted to launch a rocket for the Challenge from PSCA in late February/ beginning March 2020, but then had to cancel the launch efforts, therefore, were unable to launch a rocket for the Challenge in the end (due to faulty sensor data). DARPA declared the Launch Competition was closed on March 2, 2020, without a winner, as the competition’s only remaining team, Astra, was unable to launch their rocket within the given timeline. The US $12 million dollar awards went unclaimed.
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6. Northrop Grumman
- Founded: 1994
- Headquarters: Falls Church Virginia, USA
Need to Know
Northrop Grumman is a multinational defense and aerospace technology corporation based in the United States. It is one of the world’s leading weapons manufacturers and military technology providers, with over 90,000 total employees and over $30 billion in annual revenue.
Northrop was named to DiversityInc’s annual Top 50 Companies for Diversity list in 2020, ranking in 15th place. It was also ranked Number 2 for people with disabilities on the specialist lists, and Number 4 for employee resource groups and veterans. It was also promoted as a wonderful place to work for persons of the LGBT community.
Interesting Facts
The company was listed 96th on the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest companies for 2020. Northrop Grumman and its partner companies have received the Collier Trophy 8 times, more recently for the creation of the X-47B, the first remotely controlled, autonomous air system to fly from an aircraft carrier ship.
Northrop has also worked with the government in the past. From 1990 to 2002, it gave $8.5 million to federal races. The company also engages with 3rd lobbying groups in jurisdictions where its interests are represented; for example, in South Australia, it works with lobbying group CMAX Communications.
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Conclusion
SpaceX’s competitors are vast and are all competing every day to be #1 in the race of conquering space. SpaceX is one of the companies fighting for this title, SpaceX is not only up against other private companies but also big aerospace companies, to name just a few, NASA, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, Astra Space, Astranis, United Launch Alliance, and lastly Northrop Grumman. If SpaceX plans to outcompete these other aerospace companies, Elon Musk would be just the entrepreneur up for the challenge.