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LaunchLock

Space Tech Expo Toolkit and Resources 800 450 SEOPS Space

Space Tech Expo Toolkit and Resources

SpaceTech Expo Toolkit and Resources

Our team is excited to be headed to Bremen Germany for Space Tech Expo Europe. We’re looking forward to meeting face-to-face with our partners, customers, media and other players in the European space industry. We’ve got a lot of things planned and are looking forward to sharing updates on what SEOPS is doing.

Below are links to our Space Tech Expo Toolkit where you can get the latest info:

LATEST NEWS

SEOPS Guiding principles. Read what makes us tick, with this message from our CEO, Chad Brinkley.

Introducing LaunchLock! Learn more about our latest offering to bring maximum flexibility in securing a launch.

Customer profile — C3S from Budapest, Hungary: Read about we helped C3S secure a launch when their original plans fell through.

SPACE TECH EXPO EVENT

Join us for this fireside chat with Space News journalist Jeff Foust. Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 14:50. Don’t miss it! Fireside chat: Space Topics Getting Press Attention.

Products and Services

Looking for more detailed information about our Products and Services? Check out the website pages, and download information sheets here:

  • Deployment Systems – ↓ PDF
  • Rideshare and Integration – ↓ PDF
  • LaunchLock – ↓ PDF
    Learn about our new Rideshare program that allows you to book a flexible window for Rideshare launches to all destinations, from LEO, GTO, to Lunar orbits.
  • OctoBus OTV – ↓ PDF

Top Questions to Ask a Launch Service Provider Before Booking Your Launch 800 450 SEOPS Space

Top Questions to Ask a Launch Service Provider Before Booking Your Launch

Top Questions to Ask a Launch Service Provider Before Booking Your Launch

  1. How much experience do you have?

It’s critical to investigate how many launches and how many spacecraft your launch provider has overseen. After nearly a decade of launching, we know how important it is to have institutional knowledge behind our customers’ missions. As no two missions are the same, every single one brings new challenges and thus new solutions. Our team has a combined total of more than 100 years of engineering expertise, and has solved every challenge that has come our way for USG, Commercial, universities, and international customers with varying requirements. We’re proud to have a 100% mission success rate. We’ve done more than 16 rideshare missions, including ISS rendezvous missions and deployed 53 satellites from SEOPS hardware. 

  1. How flexible are you with launch dates? 

If you book a launch with a provider and circumstances change, whether in vehicle readiness or funding milestones, it can bring your mission to a standstill. Rebooking fees and limited launch options can follow. Ask your launch provider if they are able to build flexibility into your launch plan, and allow for moving launch windows without excessive fees or troubles. The need for flexibility is what inspired us to offer the LaunchLock program. To find out more about our LaunchLock program, read more here.

  1. What’s included in the price? 

It’s difficult to compare apples to apples with launch service providers especially when it comes to evaluating costs. Getting to the bottom line cost can sometimes be a chore. Lowball launch estimates usually hide costs and fees that will be tacked on later. At SEOPS, we don’t believe in nickel and diming our customers and surprising them with hidden costs. We provide end-to-end services from early mission design and launch window / vehicle selection to day-to-day mission management, licensing, security, launch and early operations. If you book with us, we’re with you every step of the way, and we won’t spring on additional charges later. 

  1. How early in the process does your integration team get involved?

The adage “measure twice, cut once” is applicable to launching a spacecraft. Solid early work saves time and money later. Having early access to an integration team can help with design choices and deployer selections that will save costs later on, such as applying for expensive waivers or doing additional testing – or even making custom adapters that wouldn’t be necessary with proper upfront planning. We are a true partner in our customers’ missions right from the beginning and we will eliminate obstacles to launch for them, not just help them navigate them. By signing up for our LaunchLock program, you’ll have early access to our engineering team, up to 3 years before launch, and can help solve issues in the design phase before they cause expensive mitigation costs later.

  1. Are there mandates to use specific separation systems?

Many launch providers are wedded to their own choice of separation system and will require that your spacecraft work with their hardware. This can be problematic for certain spacecraft designs and often costs additional money to make it work. Part of our commitment to flexibility is being agnostic to the deployer and separation system. We will help you pick the right hardware for your needs, not ours. 

  1. How do you help international clients navigate U.S. launch and regulatory requirements?

SEOPS’s commitment goes beyond business; we build strong, trust-based partnerships with each client. For international customers, this means offering dedicated, relationship-focused service that prioritizes their mission’s success. We proactively provide updates on U.S. regulations and launch provider requirements, ensuring that clients receive personalized, consistent guidance throughout their journey. This approach stems from our belief in partnership and genuine commitment, treating each client as an integral part of the SEOPS family to navigate challenges and ensure a seamless path to launch.

These are just a few of the questions customers should ask when choosing a launch services provider as they play a critical part in your mission’s success. We’re looking forward to answering these questions, and any others you might have. Simply send us an email at info@seops.space and let’s get the conversation started.

Introducing LaunchLock 800 450 SEOPS Space

Introducing LaunchLock

Secure Now, Launch Later: Introducing LaunchLock

At SEOPS, we are proud to be opening a new frontier in responsive space access. For nearly a decade, we have been a trusted partner of both U.S. government and commercial customers to achieve mission success. As part of our relentless drive to serve our customers, we are committed to eliminating challenges, not just working through them.

One challenge many organizations face is securing a launch opportunity when spacecraft designs are not completely solidified. To help address this challenge, we have developed a flexible way to secure a launch: LaunchLock.

Booking a launch when there are many unknowns

Many organizations wanting to launch spacecraft deal with uncertain timelines. Trying to gauge spacecraft readiness, funding milestones, radio licensing, and supply chain logistics combined with buying launch capacity can be cumbersome. These challenges can be difficult, especially for first time flyers and those with unique spacecraft missions. 

Typical launch contracts requiring operators to commit to a specific launch date in advance can be problematic and why it needs to be a launch window. Trying to align every milestone date sometimes feels like trying to get the planets to align and rebooking fees can start to pile up. 

More time, more flexibility, more assistance

LaunchLock provides maximum flexibility with minimum risk because it focuses on a launch window that can be refined as you mature in the mission. It is designed for those who need more time, providing a 3-year advance opportunity to secure a launch window. 

And possibly even more importantly for some, it provides early access and assistance from the SEOPS team to iron out requirements that may influence the spacecraft design.  Early access to the integration team also means avoiding many of the pitfalls that come late in the game, and require costly waivers from launch vehicles, or more expensive modifications to meet criteria unknown at the beginning. 

When you ‘lock in’ early, you can continue to prepare your spacecraft and obtain necessary licensing, funding, or other aspects core to the mission, while investors or customers have the reassurance that a launch has been secured to meet revenue targets or capability initiatives. As your launch window gets closer you will have the ability to narrow down a specific launch date.


Many organizations’ spacecraft missions are tied to longer term goals, and often lean ahead in the development of their spacecraft while anticipated subsystems and payloads are in various stages of flight qualification. This environment equates to an uncertain future regarding exact launch dates. LaunchLock lets organizations build flexibility into the complex planning process of launching a payload to the desired orbit, and is ideal for: .

  • Commercial Customers: Be confident that your launch is secured in the midst of uncertainty and ambiguity around development timelines, funding milestones and other moving targets. You’ll also lock in critical engineering knowledge and expertise earlier in the process, leading to a smoother ramp up to launch.
  • Defense and Government: LaunchLock works for defense and government launch planning. With minimal details required at the start, it allows program managers and leaders to responsibly execute taxpayer dollars and ensure launch capacity is covered in a way that doesn’t jeopardize mission execution timelines. 
  • Research and Education: Researchers frequently have funding constraints and are often forced to wait and address their launch needs very late in the process. LaunchLock permits institutions and organizations to secure launch capacity as one of the first steps without knowing all the details of time and logistics. This approach bolsters proposal efforts for grants and various opportunities.  

For those who have confidence in spacecraft readiness and know the launch vehicle and date they want to fly, SEOPS provides traditional Launch Service Agreements (LSAs). When signing the LSA about 12 months from the desired launch, a customer selects a specific vehicle and launch date. While efficient and streamlined, these contracts are less flexible, often having financial penalties and added operational consequences in the event rebooking is necessary for changes or delays.

Whether you need a traditional LSA or the added flexibility of LaunchLock, SEOPS is your trusted expert to get you where you need to go. SEOPS will continue to derive innovative and flexible solutions to serve our customers.

If you are interested in discussing which options are right for you, drop us a line at info@seops.space.

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