COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Space Exploration Technology Corp. (SpaceX) expects to capture more than half of the commercial launch market after it introduces its Falcon Heavy launcher, company President and CEO Gwynne Shotwell said Monday.
Shotwell told an audience here at the National Space Symposium (NSS) that SpaceX captured 30 percent of the commercial launch market over the last three years. She said there is a very large commercial marketplace that has been relatively stable for decades and she anticipates the marketplace remaining stable. Shotwell said through a SpaceX spokesman Tuesday the company expects its first Falcon Heavy launch by the end of 2015.
Shotwell mentioned NASA’s Cargo Resupply Services (CRS) and upcoming Commercial Crew missions to send United States astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) as major commercial launch programs. Shotwell said, overall, she’s bullish on the commercial launch market moving forward.
“Commercial Crew is coming online as well so I see a huge growth and uptick in the commercial marketplace,” Shotwell said.
Shotwell said last month at a Satellite 2015 lunch that SpaceX responded to NASA’s CRS-2 request for proposals (RFP). According to the RFP issued in September, the guaranteed minimum value for any awarded contract is six missions and the total maximum value of any awarded contract is $14 billion. Proposals were due Dec. 2 and NASA anticipates a contract award in June (Defense Daily, March 17).