What Happened
Western Hemisphere Faces Shortage As Falcon Rockets Wind Down
The space industry is experiencing a launch crunch, with growing demand for satellite launches and a shortage of available launch vehicles. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets, which have been the workhorse of the industry, are being phased out in favor of the company’s new Starship rocket. This has left a gap in launch capacity, which new vehicles from companies like Vulcan and New Glenn are struggling to fill. The US government may consider intervening to address the issue, but experts say that the fundamental problems of demand outstripping supply will take time to resolve. The situation was first reported by Ars Technica.