According to a report published by Euroconsult here, the number of Earth Observation (EO) satellites to be launched over the next ten years will be double of those launched in the preceding decade.

The report mentions that the largest component of growth is coming from the private sector, rather than from government projects. Government-funded projects will remain the largest contributor to the number of launches, but the percentage of satellites that are government sponsored will drop from 77% of all launches to 36%.

Does this mean that data from EO satellites is now becoming something that the private sector sees as a valuable data-stream? One of the questions that should be asked is if these satellites are going to overlap in their capabilities – especially when it comes to private satellite data. If you have two satellite systems offering very similar products, does this mean that the market price for these products will drop as more players enter the sector? How does this affect returns from the initial (substantial) investment in development and launch?