Segments of the space economy
Launch
SpaceX dominates reusable launch; Rocket Lab, Blue Origin, ULA, Arianespace compete. Cost-per-kg is the whole game.
Satellites
Mega-constellations (Starlink, Kuiper, OneWeb) plus traditional GEO comms and Earth observation.
Propulsion
Rocket nozzles and turbopumps need rhenium/nickel superalloys; electric thrusters use noble gases.
Actuators & power
Reaction wheels, gimbals, and motors run on high-temperature SmCo magnets that hold field where NdFeB fails.
Sensors & optics
Germanium IR optics, gallium-arsenide solar cells, and yttrium/scandium coatings for thermal control.
Defense overlap
Much of the supply base is dual-use — missiles, hypersonics, and milspace share the same alloys and magnets.
Why the materials matter
Orbit is unforgiving. Magnets must hold at high temperature (samarium-cobalt, not neodymium); engines need rhenium-bearing nickel superalloys to survive combustion; airframes and tanks want titanium and scandium-aluminum for strength-to-weight; sensors rely on germanium and gallium. Most are deeply concentrated upstream.
The chokepoints
- Samarium & the heavy rare earths — China-refined; SmCo is critical for milspace magnets.
- Rhenium — a tiny byproduct market for jet/rocket superalloys.
- Scandium — promising for light alloys but supply is thin and concentrated.
- Germanium & gallium — IR optics and solar cells, under Chinese export controls.
Critical materials powering space & defense (…)
Ranked by chokepoint risk. Click any element for its full profile. Explore all 68 →