Business models in the space sector:

the case of Rocket Lab

Authors

  • Rodolfo Castelo Branco Wadovski Instituto Naval de Pós-Graduação (INPG) – Rio de Janeiro/RJ – Brasil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22480/revunifa.2020.33.261

Keywords:

Business model, Space sector, Rocket Lab, Ecosystem

Abstract

This article analyzes the evolution of the business model of a private rocket company, Rocket Lab. In view of the quick transformations of the space sector, where the private sector is increasingly relevant, little is known about the most appropriate business
models to deal with new challenges. Through a longitudinal research in Internet archives, we survey the main events in the history of Rocket Lab and use the theoretical model CANVAS to analyze the evolution of the company’s business logic. The
results indicate that the value proposal remained the
core of the company’s business model, undergoing minor adjustments. At the same time, the other components of the business model have undergone more significant adaptations over time to meet the needs of important partners, especially the military.

References

ADNER, Ron. Match your innovation strategy to your innovation ecosystem. Harvard business review, v. 84, n. 4, p. 98, 2006.

ANDRIES, Petra; DEBACKERE, Koenraad; VAN LOOY, Bart. Simultaneous experimentation as a learning strategy: Business model development under uncertainty. Strategic entrepreneurship journal, v. 7, n. 4, p. 288-310, 2013.

ARORA, Sanjay K. et al. Using the wayback machine to mine websites in the social sciences:

a methodological resource. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, v. 67, n. 8, p. 1904-1915, 2016.

AUTIO, Erkko; THOMAS, L. Innovation ecosystems. The Oxford handbook of innovation

management, p. 204-288, 2014.

BBC. Space Race. BBC –Documentary, 2005. Disponível em: <https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=xcLphSY8PX0>.Acesso em: 02 apr. 2019 BofAML. To Infinity And Beyond – Global Space Primer. Bank of America Merril Lynch, 2017. Disponível em:<https://api.guidants.com/db/ a2/1e1ffc185c1d44bd.pdf>. Acesso em: 02 apr. 2019.

BOTT, Gregory; TOURISH, Dennis. The critical incident technique reappraised: Using critical

incidents to illuminate organizational practices and build theory. Qualitative Research in

Organizations and Management: An International Journal, v. 11, n. 4, p. 276-300, 2016.

BRADLEY, Grant. Peter Beck: The man with the one million-horsepower Rocket, NZ Herald,

Out 2016. Disponível em:

id=3&objectid=11715402>.Acesso em: 01 nov. 2019.

CORALLO, Angelo; ERRICO, Fabrizio; LAZOI, Mariangela. The aerospace “networked” business model: Evidences and suggestions. Universal Journal of Management, v. 2, n. 4, p. 151-159, 2014.

DAVENPORT, Christian. The space barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the quest to colonize the cosmos. Public Affairs, 2018.

DURIAU, Vincent J.; REGER, Rhonda K.; PFARRER, Michael D. A content analysis of the content analysis literature in organization studies: Research themes, data sources, and methodological refinements. Organizational research methods, v. 10, n. 1, p. 5-34, 2007.

FAA (N/A). Origins of the Commercial Space Industry. Federal Aviation Administration.

Disponível em: <https://www.faa.gov/about/history/ milestones/media/Commercial_Space_Industry. pdf>. Acesso em: 26 apr. 2019

FAA. The Annual Compendium of Commercial Space Transportation: 2018. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), 2108. Disponível em: <https://www.faa.gov/ about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/media/2018_ ast_compendium.pdf>. Acesso em: 15 jul. 2019.

FOUST, J. Investors seek disruptive space startups in an overcrowded market. Space News, 7 Mai 2019. Disponível em: <https://spacenews.com/ investors-seek-disruptive-space-startups-in-anovercrowded-market/>. Acesso em: 01 ago. 2019.

FRICK, Warren; NIEDERSTRASSER, Carlos. Small Launch Vehicles-A 2018 State of the Industry Survey. 2018.32nd Annual AIAA/USU, Conference on Small Satellites. Disponível em: . Acesso em: 15 jun. 2019.

FRISCHAUF, Norbert et al. New Space: New Business Models at the Interface of Space and

Digital Economy: Chances in an Interconnected World. New Space, v. 6, n. 2, p. 135-146, 2018.

IANSITI, M.; LEVIEN, R. Strategy as ecology. Harvard business review, v. 82, n. 3, p. 68-78, 126, 2004.

KEALL, C. K. B. Why CNN’s Rocket Lab report bugged the hell out of me. NZ Herald, 2 Nov 2018. Disponível em: <https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/ news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12159204>. Acesso em: 01 jul. 2019.

LANGLEY, Ann. Strategies for theorizing from process data. Academyof Management review, v. 24, n. 4, p. 691-710, 1999.

METCALFE, Stan; RAMLOGAN, Ronnie. Innovation systems and the competitive process in developing economies. The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, v. 48, n. 2, p. 433-446, 2008.

MILLER, Jonathan. Space 3.0 – how it will solve problems here on Earth. Stuff, 09 Maio 2019.

Disponível em: <https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/ innovation/112537392/space-30--how-it-will-solveproblems-here-on-earth>. Acesso em:01 jun. de 2019.

MORGAN STALEY. Space: Investing in the Final Frontier. Morgan Stanley, 2019. Disponível em: <https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/investing-inspace>.Acesso em: 30 nov. 2019.

MORRIS, Michael; SCHINDEHUTTE, Minet; ALLEN, Jeffrey. The entrepreneur’s business model: toward a unified perspective. Journal of business research, v. 58, n. 6, p. 726-735, 2005. Noted. The extraordinary story of how New Zealand entered the space race. Noted, 2018. Disponível em: <https://www.noted.co.nz/money/business/ rocket-lab-how-new-zealand-entered-space-race/>. Acesso em: 30 set. 2019.

NASA. NASA, SpaceX to Launch First Astronauts to Space Station from U.S. Since 2011, NASA. Disponível em: < https://www.nasa.gov/specials/ dm2/ > Acesso em 18 jul. 2020.

NATO. The Future of The Space Industry. NATO – Economic and Security Committee (Esc), 2018. Disponível em: <https://www.nato-pa.int/downloadfile?filename=sites/default/files/2018-12/2018%20-%20 THE%20FUTURE%20OF%20SPACE%20INDUSTRY%20-%20BOCKEL%20REPORT%20-%20173%20ESC%20 18%20E%20fin.pdf> Acesso em: 20 maio 2019.

ORLOVA, Alina; NOGUEIRA, Roberto; CHIMENTI, Paula. The Present and Future of the Space Sector: A Business Ecosystem Approach. Space Policy, p. 101374, 2020.

OSTERWALDER, Alexander; PIGNEUR, Yves. Business model generation: a handbook for

visionaries, game changers, and challengers. John Wiley & Sons, 2010.

PAIKOWSKY, Deganit. What is new space? The changing ecosystem of global space activity. New Space, v. 5, n. 2, p. 84-88, 2017.

PYLE, Rod. Space 2.0: How Private Spaceflight, a Resurgent NASA, and International Partners are Creating a New Space Age. BenBella Books, 2019.

REYMEN, Isabelle MMJ et al. Understanding dynamics of strategic decision making in venture creation: a process study of effectuation and causation. Strategic entrepreneurship journal, v. 9, n. 4, p. 351-379, 2015.

REYMEN, Isabelle et al. Decision making for business model development: a process study of effectuation and causation in new technology‐based ventures. R&D Management, v. 47, n. 4, p. 595-606, 2017.

SPACE ANGELS. U.S. Government Support of the Entrepreneurial Space Age. Space Angels,

Disponível em:<https://sbir.nasa.gov/content/ publications>Acesso em: 30 nov. 2019.

TEECE, David J. Business models, business strategy and innovation. Long range planning, v.

, n. 2-3, p. 172-194, 2010.

THE ECONOMIST. Is New Zealand the world’s best rocket-launching site? The Economist, 5 abril 2018. Disponível em: <https://www.economist.com/scienceand-technology/2018/04/05/is-new-zealand-the-worldsbest-rocket-launching-site>. Acesso em: 01 jun. 2019.

TSUJIMOTO, Masaharu et al. A review of the ecosystem concept—Towards coherent ecosystem design. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, v. 136, p. 49-58, 2018.

VANCE, Ashlee; SANDERS, Fred. Elon Musk. HarperCollins, 2015.

VAN DE VEN, Andrew H.; POOLE, Marshall Scott. Methods for studying innovation development in the Minnesota Innovation Research Program. Organization science, v. 1, n. 3, p. 313-335, 1990.

VENKATRAMAN, N.; LEE, Chi-Hyon. Preferential linkage and network evolution: A conceptual model and empirical test in the US video game sector. Academy of Management Journal, v. 47, n. 6, p. 876-892, 2004.

VIA SATELLITE. Rocket Lab Signs NASA Partnership to Tap Launch Resources. Via Satellite, 31 Julho 2015. Disponível em: <https://www.satellitetoday.com/ business/2015/07/31/rocket-lab-signs-nasa-partnershipto-tap-launch-resources/>. Acesso em: 01 abr. 2019.

WALSH, Frances. Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck and Mark Rocket on their space plans. Metro, 1 Abr 2008. Disponível em: <https://www.metromag.co.nz/society/

society-etc/rocket-labs-peter-beck-and-mark-rocketon-their-space-plans>. Acesso em: 01 jun. 2019.

WEF. Space. World Economic Forum, 2020. Disponível em: <https://intelligence.weforum.org/ topics/a1Gb0000000pTDUEA2?tab=publications>.

Acesso em: 10 jan. 2020.

WEINZIERL, Matthew. Space, the final economic frontier. Journal of Economic Perspectives, v. 32, n. 2, p. 173-92, 2018.

ZOTT, Christoph; AMIT, Raphael; MASSA, Lorenzo. The business model: recent developments and future research. Journal of management, v. 37, n. 4, p. 1019-1042, 2011.

Published

2020-12-28

Issue

Section

Original Articles

How to Cite

Business models in the space sector: : the case of Rocket Lab. The Journal of the University of the Air Force , Rio de Janeiro, v. 33, n. 2, 2020. DOI: 10.22480/revunifa.2020.33.261. Disponível em: https://revistadaunifa.fab.mil.br/index.php/reunifa/article/view/261.. Acesso em: 21 nov. 2024.

Similar Articles

11-20 of 418

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.