It’s no secret that many industry sectors around the world are evolving faster than ever. And this means that, for the next wave of successful space companies, agility is going to be much more of a necessity – rather than just something nice to have.
Tomorrow’s clients and space service end-users will have higher expectations around performance, availability, and reliability than we’ve previously seen. Technical novelty won’t be enough to compete, it is the ability to deliver value (and, crucially, demonstrate clearly that you have delivered value) that will win the day.
But, the value that the market demands will also change, and those changes are taking place more rapidly than ever. As other industries increasingly appreciate the value of space as an operating domain, and orbital data is integrated more widely into space-based, terrestrial, and multi-domain systems, new business models and concepts are opening up around the world.
Geopolitical events, as always, have an impact too. They drive the defence industry which, in turn, has an impact on space – at least for many providers in operation. So, the unsettled situations in so many parts of the world are also causing more disruption (and more new opportunities) for space companies.
These market movements are complemented by shifting customer behaviors, which is something every industry is grappling with too.
The impact on brand identity
In general, today’s consumers don’t have the same ties and affiliations to brands that those of previous generations built. Do a quick search and you’ll find article after article proclaiming the death of brand loyalty, in almost every B2C and B2B sector.
There are nuances of course, but the overall trend is pretty clear, and has profound implications for space companies trying to build a sustainable business in today’s market.
Characterizations of NewSpace, as a departure from public- or prime-led legacy space processes and a greater focus on commercial priorities, are well-known. And they always reflect on the fact that new customers in the space industry don’t have existing relationships with, or brand perceptions of, the legacy players – so the field is more open for the next generation of suppliers.
But the impact goes deeper than that.
Industries are not only changing faster than ever, but that rate of change is also increasing. Changes are accelerating.
So new providers not only need to create offers that attract prospects who don’t have any brand loyalty to existing players – but they also need to understand that the same prospects are unlikely to build brand loyalty to them either!
This is an over-simplification of course. Some companies are certainly able to create loyal fans who stick with their brand – I think SpaceX is a good example to some extent – but the majority are going to need to really focus on other aspects of performance in business development too, particularly distribution, availability, and discoverability.
When you can’t rely on a customer coming straight to you, because they don’t really value (heck, or even remember) your brand – you’re going to need to be more proactive about showing up in the right places, and in the right ways, when that customer is searching for a solution.
In short, you need to go where the demand already is (and, in space, the demand is on satsearch!)
And when you do, you’ll also need to ensure that your business is agile enough to adapt to that demand and to cope with the changes that will come your way, more often than ever before.
So, how can a business prepare to adapt to new market conditions and opportunities that are likely to appear, and disappear, faster than before?
Start with the supply chain…
Flexibility in supply = agility in service
Ultimately, the ability to serve different clients in different ways will come down to a provider’s capability to rapidly and reliably:
- Adapt internal manufacturing, engineering, testing, qualification, and logistics approaches as needed,
- Adjust support for MissionOps, integration, mission qualification, after-sales, troubleshooting, and other areas when required, and
- Demonstrate, and use, expertise and heritage built up over multiple missions in different application areas to ensure the best chance of success.
Throughout all of this the core unique value needs to be clear and consistent. There must be some specific point of difference or key strength that enables a supplier to stand out, while other aspects of the mission are tweaked as needed.
And for everything else, the supply chain is there to fill the gaps, as long as it is robust and can also be managed efficiently.
This might require, for example;
- Building relationships with the future in mind,
- Using supply chain data to optimize which suppliers you work with and how you engage with them, and
- Taking the risk to bulk buy certain components in advance, and pay for their storage, until needed.
Approaching the supply chain as a core discipline that can improved, sped up, and made more sophisticated will help you unlock a more versatile service portfolio in space.
Turn supply chain management into strategic advantage
At satsearch we’ve supported over 400 different mission teams around the world, along with many more individual engineers, in sourcing the right services, software, and hardware for their projects.
And one of the most common questions we have to take to suppliers is; is it actually available?
You see, marketing in the space industry is slowly improving. For years we’ve been talking about the importance of transparency and openness – moving away from legacy practices of utmost confidentiality to an environment that prioritizes the daily activities of engineers (aka potential customers) without compromising sensitive information.
We believe in the value of this approach so much that we’ve built our entire platform around facilitating it – and we see more and more suppliers doing things this way in the modern market.
However, even the most transparent of suppliers can find it difficult to share up-to-date information on the actual availability of a system.
As much as manufacturer websites and social media accounts tout the latest version releases or new flight heritage gains – we know from experience that physically getting your hands on products takes time and sharing information on availability isn’t clear cut.
As you know, space hardware is highly specialized and rigorously tested. But, in 2025, with so many proven solutions and innovations available, we think that these issues shouldn’t hold back your development.
Instead, all forward-thinking companies can be looking at how they can turn agile supply chain management into a real strategic advantage over competitors. Here are some ways to do this.
- Make lead time a central requirement in procurement conversations, not a condition to accept.
- Discuss whether, and how, lead time would be affected if volume was increased 2X, 10X or more.
- Simply cast a wider net. It is likely that there are several suppliers who can meet your needs, even if they don’t publicise this, and the competition you create will give you better options. We can help you find them.
- Ask how quick and easy it is to change your regular order when needed (in terms of product type, volume, calibration, financing process etc.) An agile supply chain is a resilient supply chain.
- Encourage your suppliers to speed up their own supply chains. Simply send them to us for a discussion on how!
- Add some contingency into your production timelines. But use data to iteratively reduce this over time.
- Invest in your supplier relationships. Although you are the buyer and should be treated as such in the power dynamic – space is a relatively small industry that really thrives on personal relationships. Make sure to develop yours.
Conclusion
In the space industry, hype is always a problem. Companies all over the world will continue to raise money on flimsy concepts and make major announcements about ground-breaking missions that, in reality, have less than 50% chance of making it to the launchpad.
And you’ll see the mission announcement press releases repeated in the media to widespread attention, while the reports of delays and failures feature much more sparingly in the news. This is just the reality of the industry we are in.
But that shouldn’t affect your commitment to excellence.
In the long-term, your business is only as good as the technology you produce for your customers. And this technology, and the services and experience you build around it, is only as good as the supply chain that supports it.
Ensure you give your supply chain the focus, attention, and investment it deserves, so that it can propel you to the next level.
Ad astra!
Further reading
- Meeting space engineering challenges with satsearch
- What’s next for NewSpace, in 2025 and beyond?
- How satsearch is fixing space procurement
- A brief introduction to the space supply chain
- Procurement advice from space industry experts
- Satellite components – supply chain hub
- Engineering the future
- The capacity-competence conundrum
