The Lunar and Deep-Space Launch Market
How much launch does the return to the Moon require, who provides it, and how does it compare with Earth-orbit demand?
Chapter summary
Lunar and deep-space missions are few in number but large in value and in the capabilities they demand.
Key takeaways
- 1
The GCAT launch log records 4–7 deep-space launches a year in 2022–2025.
- 2
NASA's Artemis programme flew its first crewed mission, Artemis II, around the Moon on 1 April 2026 on the Space Launch System, the most expensive rocket in service; its landings depend on Starship and on refuelling in orbit.
- 3
NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services programme buys robotic landings on Falcon 9 and other rockets, with one fully successful landing (Firefly's Blue Ghost, 2025) and several partial successes and failures.
Keep reading with Space access
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