10 July 2026

Space Insurance Market Update Q2 2026

As expressed in our Q1 2026 edition, we continue to see increased competition for heritage in-orbit and launch risks, which could drive premium rate reductions in the second half of 2026. In addition, noting the significant reduction in available premium for 2026 compared with previous years, competition could intensify in Q4 as underwriters look to meet premium targets.

As such, risks that have previously been challenging to place (primarily those implementing significant elements of new technology) are more specifically targeted by insurers who may now be willing to accept a heightened level of technical risk as part of their overall portfolio.

The only significant claim reported since SpainSat in December 2025 has been AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite, following Blue Origin’s unsuccessful launch in April 2026 – insured for circa. USD30m. However, we note that several insured satellites have anomalies under review. In the event of a significant claim being announced to the market, this could have a meaningful impact on profitability for the current underwriting year and may therefore result in renewed volatility and a significant change in approach from underwriters.

Space insurance capacity updates

In addition to recent entrants Phemis, AESIR and Hive, in June 2026, WhiteCap announced that they will be underwriting Space insurance risks. Our market analysis suggests that over USD 70 million of theoretical capacity has been added to the market in 2026.

On 19 May 2026, HDI Global announced its departure from the space insurance market. Noting the new entrants in 2026 above, our initial analysis suggests that this is not expected to have a significant impact on overall market pricing or capacity availability for our clients.

Blue Origin pre-launch failure

On 28 May 2026, during a routine static-fire test, a New Glenn rocket reportedly exploded at Launch Complex 36, resulting in the loss of the launch vehicle and damage to the surrounding area. Following the failure of the previous NG-3 mission, this may raise questions on Blue Origin’s ability to support the upcoming Artemis III mission.

In images released to the public, it is feared that the damage may leave Blue Origin without a way to launch New Glenn for an extended period. However, in an update released by CEO Dave Limp on 1 June, he noted that the damage is not as extensive or dire as initially feared and that they are currently planning to launch again from Launch Complex 36 this year.

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Ben Spain

Senior Partner, Aerospace

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