Federal Aviation Administration

Office of Commercial Space

Transportation

800 Independence Ave., S.W.

Room 331

Washington, DC 20591 SPECIAL EDITION October 26, 2005 

In FY2005, the Federal Aviation Administration’s

(FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation

licensed five orbital launches valued at approximately

$385 million, including:

• Two Atlas 5 vehicles from Cape Canaveral

Air Force Station; and

• Three Zenit 3SL launches conducted by the 

multinational Sea Launch service provider.

The orbital launch count is lower than for the previous

year, in which there were nine, but matches the number

of launches licensed in FY2001 and FY2002.

In addition to the five orbital commercial launches, the

FAA licensed the Ansari X Prize-winning flight of

SpaceShipOne, setting the stage for future commercial

suborbital development and private passenger launches.

With the $10 million prize, the total value of FY 2005

FAA-licensed launches was approximately $395 million.

Up to 10 FAA-licensed launches are expected in FY2006.

During the FY2001-FY2005 period, there were an 

average of 15 commercial launches worldwide to geosynchronous orbit (GSO) per fiscal year, with a low of

12 in FY2005 and a high of 18 in FY2001. There was 

a five-year low of only one commercial launch worldwide to a non-geosynchronous orbit (NGSO) in

FY2005 (the failed Volna launch attempt of the Cosmos

1 Solar Sail), compared with a high of 8 commercial 

NGSO launches worldwide in FY2001.

Worldwide in FY2005, only 13 commercial orbital

launches occurred, lower than the average of 19

commercial launches per fiscal year during the five-year

period. The U.S. (including Sea Launch) has conducted

an average of seven commercial orbital launches per

year during the five-year period, while Russia and

Europe have each conducted an average of six such

launches during the five-year period.

$385M 

$460M 

$536M $585M 

$395M 

$600M 

$0

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

$600

$700

$800

$900

$1,000

Estimated Revenue from 

Licensed Launches (in $M)

FY2001 FY2002 FY2003 FY2004 FY2005 FY2006

Projected

FAA-Licensed Commercial Orbital and

Suborbital Launch Trend

FAA-LICENSED VEHICLES LAUNCHED IN FY2005

U.S. Commercial Orbital and Suborbital

Launch Revenue Trend

Worldwide Distribution of Orbital

Commercial Launches in FY2005

SIX ORBITAL AND SUBORBITAL FAA-LICENSED

LAUNCHES IN FY2005

FIVE-YEAR ORBITAL COMMERCIAL LAUNCH

TRENDS WORLDWIDE

Sea Launch

Vehicle Atlas 5 SpaceShipOne Zenit 3SL

FY2005 Total 

Launches 31 3

FY2005 Licensed 

Launches 21 3

FY2005 Reliability 3/3 (100%) 1/1 (100%) 3/3 (100%)

10-Year Reliability 6/6 (100%) 3/3 (100%) 16/17 (94%)

Maximum LEO 

Capacity - kg (lb)

12,500

(27,558) - 15,246(33,541)

Maximum GEO 

Capacity - kg (lb)

7,640

(16,843) - 6,080(13,376)

United States

6 6

8

13

6

8 - 10

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Number of Orbital and 

Suborbital Launches

FY2001 FY2002 FY2003 FY2004 FY2005 FY2006

Projected

USA: 

2 (15%)

Russia: 6 (46%)

Europe: 2 (15%) Multinational: 3 (23%)
Date Vehicle Site Payload(s) Operator Manufacturer Use Commercial 

Price L M

United 

States

10/4/2004 \/ SpaceShipOne Mojave Airport * SpaceShipOne Flight 17P Mojave Aerospace Ventures Scaled Composites Prize N/A S S

12/17/2004 \/ Atlas 5 521 CCAFS * AMC 16 SES Americom Lockheed Martin Corp. Communications $70M S S

3/11/2005 \/ Atlas 5 431 CCAFS * Inmarsat-4 F1 Inmarsat Astrium Communications $70M S S

Europe

2/12/2005 Ariane 5 ECA Kourou * XTAR EUR XTAR Space Systems/Loral Communications $140M S S

8/11/2005 Ariane 5G Kourou * Thaicom 4 (IPstar) Shin Satellite Public Co. Space Systems/Loral Communications $140M S S

Russia

10/15/2004 Proton M Baikonur * AMC 15 SES Americom Lockheed Martin Corp. Communications $70M S S

2/2/2005 Proton M Baikonur * AMC 12 SES Americom Alcatel Espace Communications $70M S S

5/22/2005 Proton M Baikonur * DirecTV 8 DirecTV, Inc. Space Systems/Loral Communications $70M S S

6/21/2005 Volna Barents Sea Cosmos 1 The Planetary Society NPO Lavotchkin Development $1.15M F F

8/14/2005 Soyuz Baikonur * Galaxy 14 Pan American Satellite Corp. Orbital Sciences Corp. Communications $40M S S

9/9/2005 Proton M Baikonur * Anik F1R Telesat Canada Astrium Communications $70M S S

Multinational

2/28/2005 \/ Zenit 3SL Odyssey 

Platform * XM 3 XM Satellite Radio, Inc. Boeing Communications $70M S S

4/26/2005 \/ Zenit 3SL Odyssey 

Platform * Spaceway 1 Hughes Network Systems Boeing Communications $70M S S

6/23/2005 \/ Zenit 3SL Odyssey 

Platform * Intelsat Americas 8 Intelsat Space Systems/Loral Communications $70M S S

WORLDWIDE ORBITAL AND SUBORBITAL COMMERCIAL LAUNCH

EVENTS IN FY2005

Commercial prices are estimates only.

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 (FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation.

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

* 

\/

L

Federal Aviation Administration

Office of Commercial Space

Transportation

800 Independence Ave., S.W.

Room 331

Washington, DC 20591 SPECIAL EDITION October 26, 2005 

Note: Mojave Aerospace Ventures was awarded the $10 million Anasari X Prize for SpaceShipOne’s 10/4/2004 flight.