In 2006 the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of

Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST) licensed

seven orbital launches valued at approximately $490

million, all of which were successful, including:

• Five Zenit 3SL vehicles carrying Echostar X,

JCSAT 9, Galaxy 16, Koreasat 5, and XM 4 from

Sea Launch’s Odyssey Launch Platform in the

Pacific Ocean, all to geosynchronous orbit (GEO);

• One Atlas 5 vehicle carrying Astra 1KR launched

from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) to

GEO; and

• One Delta 4 vehicle carrying GOES 13 launched

from CCAFS to GEO.

The total number of FAA-licensed orbital launches in

2006 increased from 2005 when there were five

launches. The number of orbital launches is expected

to continue increasing in 2007, with between 11 and

13 projected to occur. There were no FAA-licensed

suborbital launches in 2006, but the first flights under

FAA experimental permits occurred. Six permitted

suborbital flights were conducted in 2006.

The United States and Sea Launch together captured

33 percent of the worldwide commercial launch market

in 2006, a five percent increase from 2005. Russia led

the market with a 43 percent share in 2006, although

one Proton launch failed. Europe’s 24 percent share

was similar to 2005 when they also had five launches.

Twenty one commercial orbital launches occurred in

2006, which is above the average number of about 19

launches per year for the past five years. During the

2002-2006 period, there was an average of about 15

commercial launches to GEO per year, with a low of

13 in 2003 and 2004 and a high of 20 in 2002. The

number of commercial launches to non-geosynchronous

orbits (NGSO) from 2002 through 2006 averaged just

under four per year, with a low of two launches in

2004 and a high of five in 2002 and 2006.

6

8 9

5

7

11-13

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Number of Launches

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Projected

Federal Aviation Administration

Office of Commercial Space

Transportation

800 Independence Ave., S.W.

Room 331

Washington, DC 20591 SPECIAL EDITION February 6, 2007 

$413M 

$529M $585M 

$350M 

$490M 

$0

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

$600

$700

$800

$900

$1,000

US$ Millions

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Projected

$865-

950M

FAA-Licensed Commercial Orbital Launches

FAA-LICENSED VEHICLES LAUNCHED IN 2006

FAA-Licensed Commercial Orbital Launch Revenues

SEVEN FAA-LICENSED ORBITAL LAUNCHES

AND SIX PERMITTED FLIGHTS IN 2006

WORLDWIDE ORBITAL COMMERCIAL LAUNCH

MARKET SHARE FOR 2006

USA: 2 (9%)

Russia: 9 (43%)

Multinational:

5 (24%)

Europe:

5 (24%)

Total: 21

FIVE-YEAR ORBITAL COMMERCIAL LAUNCH

TRENDS WORLDWIDE

United States Multinational

Vehicle Delta 4 Atlas 5 Zenit 3SL

2006 Total Launches 3 2 5

2006 Licensed Launches 1 1 5

Launch Reliability (2006) 3/3 (100%) 2/2 (100%) 5/5 (100%)

Launch Reliability

(Last 10 Years) 7/7 (100%) 8/8 (100%) 22/23 (96%)

LEO kg (lbs) 12,120

(26,719)

12,500

(27,558)

15,246

(33,541)

GTO kg (lbs) 5,941

(13,098)

7,640

(16,843)

6,100

(13,436)
WORLDWIDE COMMERCIAL LAUNCH EVENTS IN 2006

Denotes a commercial payload, defined as a spacecraft which serves a commercial function or is operated by a commercial entity.

Denotes a commercial launch licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST).

L Denotes launch outcome (S-success, F-failure, and P-partial). M denotes mission outcome (S-success, F-failure, and P-partial).

Note: All prices are estimates.

* 

\/

Date Vehicle Site Payload(s) Operator Manufacturer Use L M

4/20/2006 \/ Atlas 5 411 CCAFS * Astra 1KR SES Astra Lockheed Martin 

Commercial Space 

Systems (LMCSS)

Communications S S

5/24/2006 \/ Delta 4 MediumPlus (4,2)CCAFS GOES 13 National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA)

The Boeing Company Meteorological S S

Europe

3/11/2006 Ariane 5 ECA Kourou * Hot Bird 7A Eutelsat Alcatel Alenia Space Communications S S

SpainSat Hisdesat SA Space Systems/Loral Communications S S

5/27/2006 Ariane 5 ECA Kourou * SatMex 6 Satelites Mexicanos S.A. de Space Systems/Loral Communications S S

* Thaicom 5 Shin Satellite Public Co. Alcatel Alenia Space Communications S S

8/11/2006 Ariane 5 ECA Kourou * JCSAT 10 Japan Satellite Systems (JSAT) LMCSS Communications S S

Syracuse 3B Delegation Generale pour 

l'Armement (DGA)

Alcatel Alenia Space Communications S S

10/13/2006 Ariane 5 ECA Kourou * DirecTV 9S DirecTV, Inc. Space Systems/Loral Communications S S

* Optus D1 Singtel/Optus Orbital Sciences Communications S S

LDREX 2 Japan Aerospace Exploration 

Agency (JAXA)

JAXA Development S S

12/8/2006 Ariane 5 ECA Kourou * WildBlue 1 WildBlue Communications, Inc. Space Systems/Loral Communications S S

* AMC 18 SES Americom LMCSS Communications S S

Russia

3/1/2006 Proton M Baikonur * Arabsat 4A Arab Satellite Communications 

Organization (Arabsat)

European Aeronautic 

Defense and Space 

Company (EADS) Astrium

Communications F F

4/25/2006 START 1 Svobodny * EROS B Imagesat International N.V. Israel Aircraft Industries Remote Sensing S S

7/12/2006 Dnepr 1 Dombarovskiy * Genesis 

Pathfinder 1

Bigelow Aerospace Bigelow Aerospace Development S S

7/28/2006 Rockot Plesetsk Kompsat 2 Korea Aerospace Research 

Institute (KARI)

KARI Remote Sensing S S

8/5/2006 Proton M Baikonur * Hot Bird 8 Eutelsat EADS Astrium Communications S S

11/9/2006 Proton M Baikonur * BADR-4 Arabsat EADS Astrium Communications S S

12/12/2006 Proton M Baikonur * Measat 3 MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. 

Bhd.

Boeing Satellite Systems Communications S S

12/19/2006 Kosmos 3M Plesetsk SAR Lupe 1 German Defense Ministry OHB System Intelligence S S

12/27/2006 Soyuz 2 1B Baikonur Corot Centre National d'Etudes 

Spatiales (CNES)

Alcatel Alenia Space Scientific S S

2/15/2006 \/ Zenit 3SL Odyssey 

Launch Platform

* Echostar X Echostar Communications 

Corporation

LMCSS Communications S S

4/12/2006 \/ Zenit 3SL Odyssey 

Launch Platform

* JCSAT 9 JSAT LMCSS Communications S S

6/18/2006 \/ Zenit 3SL Odyssey 

Launch Platform

* Galaxy 16 Intelsat Space Systems/Loral Communications S S

8/21/2006 \/ Zenit 3SL Odyssey 

Launch Platform

* Koreasat 5 Korea Telecom Alcatel Alenia Space Communications S S

10/30/2006 \/ Zenit 3SL Odyssey 

Launch Platform

* XM 4 XM Satellite Radio, Inc. Boeing Satellite Systems Communications S S

Multinational

United States

Federal Aviation Administration

Office of Commercial Space

Transportation

800 Independence Ave., S.W.

Room 331

Washington, DC 20591 SPECIAL EDITION February 6, 2007 

2006 FAA EXPERIMENTAL PERMIT FLIGHT ACTIVITY

Date Operator Vehicle Site

10/19/2006 Armadillo Aerospace Pixel Las Cruces International Airport, NM

10/20/2006 Armadillo Aerospace Pixel Las Cruces International Airport, NM

10/21/2006 Armadillo Aerospace Pixel Las Cruces International Airport, NM

10/21/2006 Armadillo Aerospace Pixel Las Cruces International Airport, NM

10/21/2006 Armadillo Aerospace Pixel Las Cruces International Airport, NM

11/13/2006 Blue Origin Goddard West Texas Launch Site, TX