Satellite launch market 2025: trends and analysis

Global satellite launch activity in 2025 was highly concentrated, with SpaceX dominating both satellite and launch volumes through unmatched reliability and cadence, while China’s state‑backed launch ecosystem remained the only comparable source of scale. Outside these two players, commercial launch providers were increasingly differentiated between high‑cadence, small‑satellite services and low‑frequency heavy‑lift missions, underscoring structural constraints on competition in mass‑deployment markets.

This case study provides:

• an outline of the satellite launch market in 2025, detailing the performance of both government and commercial launch providers
• an analysis of satellite launches by region
• an outlook for the 2026 launch market and expected industry trends.