In a recent SpaceNews article, Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck claimed dedicated small launch and rideshare are "totally different" markets that "should not be confused." But is this binary framing helping or hurting the industry?
My analysis challenges this perspective by examining how successful constellation operators like Planet, Starlink, Spire, and HawkEye 360 position themselves across a spectrum of deployment strategies – not in separate boxes.
The data tells a fascinating story: while Beck positions Electron in opposition to rideshare, the most successful constellation operators aren't choosing sides – they're strategically leveraging the full spectrum based on their specific business requirements and physics constraints.
Using financial and deployment data from constellations in orbit right now, I reveal how different orbital regimes deliver dramatically different economics – with some surprising insights when you look beyond the conventional "dedicated versus rideshare" narrative.
For constellation operators, launch providers, and investors, understanding this spectrum could mean the difference between market-driven strategy and costly ideological positioning.
Read the full analysis!
https://open.substack.com/pub/adithyapani/p/the-spectrum-of-satellite-constellation