Payload Development, Satellite Purchase and Launch Services

Every Space mission has a number of common elements.

The mission needs to be planned, the payload designed and developed according to the mission objectives, the spacecraft needs to be acquired and the payload needs to be launched.

Which is where Launch Service Providers come in.

It is a service which is performed increasingly by commercial entities – and with re-usable launchers and shared launch facilities the costs are reducing.

The launch however remains one of the most precarious stages of space flight. It is a managed explosion.

We advise on the contractual issues to consider in relation to the launch phase which include the launch schedule, contract price, payment schedule, postponements and insurance. In addition, the launch schedule must integrate with the delivery timetable of the payload under its own Procurement Contract.

Shared launches are also a common feature of the launch configuration and we advise on how that model operates.