The Coming of Age of Space Satellite Industry: Transitioning from a Growth to a Maturity Life Cycle Phase

Abstract

From the perspective of the evolution of modern mass-production industrial sectors, the establishment of an industry can occur in a typical sequence of four conceptual phases: the introduction phase, in which a new technological concept is introduced; the growth phase, in which application of this concept in the form of a product or service is undertaken; the maturity phase, in which the direct use of the product and the advent of product-enabled services establish the new economic sector, and an eventual decline phase when one or more substitute products appear. Most of the current industrial products may be considered systems. The application of established concepts, such as interchangeable parts, permits firms to manufacture systems on a large scale, making sophisticated products available to society at manageable prices. The large availability of a product in a socioeconomic environment favors the use of this product in innovative ways, many of them unprecedented. In this way, introducing an innovative product in the market may nucleate a whole new industry over time, which may experience growth either through the continual evolvement of the product or expansion of the breadth of applications. Recent years have shown impressive development in the space industry. This article presents data that suggests that the global satellite space industry is transitioning from a growth to a maturity stage. It will be argued that barriers to entry are still at a level that permits Brazil, given its current position, to engage in the global space industry.