DynCorp subsidiary DynSpace will have official responsibility for the center at Wallops. A key competitive advantage is cost. Despite the center's promise, reeling in customers eager to launch on a regular basis remains the main issue and challenge. Economic impact projections indicate a strong and growing market for satellite launches. Hedging their bets for the time being, Reed says.
Space remains too risky for many.
A launch gone bad can literally send up in smoke months of hard work and millions of dollars of investment. Even though insurance is available, there is no effective means of compensating businesses for the hundreds or thousands of staff hours spent developing missions and building equipment. What Reed believes is needed is a pioneer or two to demonstrate that space flight from the VSFC complex is not only cost-effective but reliable. He says the center is close to concluding agreements with one or more customers who may be ready to fly payload by the second or third quarter of 2000. In the meantime, VSFC is doing what it can to nurture small rocket companies, any one of which could create low-cost alternatives to the more costly stable of rockets currently flying.