Segment
Space systems: launch, constellations and the ground behind them
Two changes turned space from a government programme into an industry: launch became repeatable and much cheaper, and satellites became manufactured products rather than bespoke ones. This segment covers both, and the ground infrastructure that is easy to forget and expensive to build.
In one sentence
Space systems comprise the launch vehicles that reach orbit, the satellites they deploy, and the ground stations, terminals and networks that connect those satellites to users.
Cost per kilogram to orbit fell by roughly an order of magnitude when boosters became recoverable and reflyable. That did not merely make existing missions cheaper; it changed what is worth doing, because a constellation of hundreds of mass-produced satellites only makes sense if launch is cheap and frequent.
The second change is manufacturing. A traditional satellite was a bespoke spacecraft built over years and tested exhaustively because it could not be replaced. A constellation satellite is built on a line, designed for a short life, and replaced on a schedule — which permits commercial parts, faster iteration and a completely different reliability philosophy.
How this breaks down
Split by segment — getting there, what goes up, and what it talks to.
- Space systemsthis page
- Rocket enginesTurbopumps, regenerative cooling and combustion — and why engine production caps launch cadence.Definition pageChokepoint
- Orbital launchRecovering the expensive part of the rocket, and what that did to cost and cadence.Definition pageChokepoint
- Satellite constellationsHundreds of low-orbit spacecraft, phased arrays, laser links and the replacement treadmill.Definition pageChokepoint
- Ground segmentWhere orbital data becomes internet traffic, and why it is a real-estate and permitting problem.Definition pageChokepoint
What this depends on
1 of these is marked as a chokepoint: a handful of qualified suppliers, a multi-year lead time, or a single geography.
- Supply chain
Aerospace materials and propulsion supply chain
Space hardware draws on the same composites, forgings and specialty alloys as aviation, from the same suppliers.
Airframes and structures - StandardChokepoint
Spectrum and orbital licensing
Frequencies and orbital slots are allocated by regulators; a constellation without them cannot operate.
- Supply chain
Radiation-tolerant and long-life electronics
Spacecraft avionics are built either from a small qualified radiation-hardened parts base or from commercial silicon screened and flown short. Both routes depend on parts remaining in production for years.
Foundry vs IDM
Companies across Space systems
Every company named on a step below this page, ordered by how many of those steps it appears at. Compiled from the pages themselves rather than written separately, so the two cannot disagree. Not a ranking and not a recommendation.
- SpaceXPrivate3 steps
- Blue OriginPrivate2 steps
- AirbusParis1 step
- ArianeGroupPrivate1 step
- ArianespacePrivate1 step
- AvioMilan1 step
12 more companies appear at a single step each; they are named on the pages for those steps.
How these pages are written
Each page explains one technology in plain language, states what it depends on, and names companies by what they supply at that step. Company roles are described qualitatively and deliberately carry no market shares, revenue figures or rankings — those change faster than an explainer can, and a stale number is worse than none. Ticker links point at company pages on this site and are provided for reference only.
Nothing here is investment advice, a recommendation, or a forecast. A company named on a page about a technology is not thereby a good investment, and the chokepoints described are structural facts about supply chains rather than predictions about prices. Technology moves; where a page describes something as unresolved or in development, that was true when it was written.
Plutux is not an investment adviser. Market data and AI-generated analysis are for information and education only, not investment advice. Disclaimer