Shortage of Rockets Leading to Satellite Launch ‘Bottleneck’, Say Experts

With a rash of competitors to Starlink entering the market, there is now a queue forming at space launch sites around the world.

An undated image of the Ariane 6 rocket at the European Space Agency's launch site at Kourou in French Guiana. Courtesy of European Space Agency

There are an estimated 23 active rocket launch facilities across the globe, but a massive increase in launch requests from the satellite industry is spurring demand for more capacity, especially when it comes to rockets.

In March 2025, a report by Goldman Sachs estimated that 70,000 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites could be launched in the next five years, a tenfold increase from the current launch number.