SpaceX (SPCX.US) suspends sale of the Falcon 9 “ride-sharing” mission, and tight rocket supply sparks a rush to buy in the space industry

The Zhitong Finance App learned that according to people familiar with the matter, Elon Musk's SpaceX (SPCX.US) has stopped selling “car-sharing” launch missions where multiple companies share the capacity of a Falcon 9 rocket.

People familiar with the matter revealed that some companies are no longer able to lock in the Falcon 9 launch opportunity after 2028. As SpaceX gradually reduces the use of Falcon 9, and competitors are trying to expand rocket production capacity, all parties are scrambling to schedule the launch.

The tight supply of rockets is triggering a rush of purchases across the space industry. Companies are looking for new ways to deploy satellites and spacecraft, and the development progress of many rockets under development is behind schedule.

Some company executives are adopting costly strategies to secure launch opportunities, such as developing their own rockets or considering buying a rocket company. At the same time, the prices of many launch missions are also rising.

The reason behind this situation is that demand for satellite and spacecraft launches continues to grow, while production capacity expansion and research and development progress of new rockets have not kept up in time, causing short-term launch capacity to become tight. For satellite operators, reduced launch opportunities not only mean higher launch costs, but may also increase the risk of delays in satellite deployment plans.