Cambridge spinout Protolaunch is developing a throttleable rocket engine for smallsat launches that may one day also be used for a lunar lander. Across the world, the small satellite market is booming. According to the UK's Satellite Applications Catapult, around 1,500 smallsats were launched in 2021, with more than 2,000 expected to lift off in 2022. Many of these are part of enormous comms constellations for OneWeb and SpaceX, launched by the dozen atop large, heavy-lift rockets. But there is also a growing number of boutique smallsat operators looking to tap into the orbital goldrush, and for these companies, launch options can be elusive.
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