Global Satellite Services Revenues Forecast to Reach $145 Billion by 2035 Amid Massive Shift Toward Data Connectivity

The global satellite services landscape is undergoing a profound and irreversible transformation, according to the newly released 33rd edition of Novaspace’s flagship Satellite Connectivity and Video Market report. Published in Paris, the comprehensive study projects that total worldwide satellite services revenues will surge by 44 percent over the next decade, climbing from current benchmarks to reach an impressive $145 billion by 2035. This substantial financial expansion is not merely a continuation of historical trends; rather, it represents a fundamental pivot away from legacy broadcast models toward high-speed, data-driven connectivity.

For decades, the commercial satellite industry was anchored primarily by television broadcasting and video distribution. However, the next ten years will mark a definitive turning point as data services aggressively capture market share. According to Novaspace data, data services are anticipated to skyrocket from 26 percent of total satellite services revenues to a commanding 68 percent by 2035, generating nearly $100 billion in annual revenue. This explosive trajectory is propelled by an insatiable, globally accelerating demand for reliable connectivity across consumer broadband, enterprise networks, government applications, and defense operations.

The Growth Engines: Consumer Broadband, Milsatcom, and Enterprise Networks

While the traditional video segment remains a legacy revenue pillar, future market expansion will be spearheaded by three distinct sectors: Consumer Broadband, Military Satellite Communications (Milsatcom), and Enterprise Networks. Over the course of the next decade, these three domains are projected to inject massive financial momentum into the ecosystem, adding $22.6 billion, $19.2 billion, and $17.2 billion in respective revenues.

Milsatcom, in particular, is rapidly emerging as a critical growth engine. This surge is heavily underwritten by escalating defense budgets worldwide and a systemic shift within modern military forces toward satellite-enabled operational concepts. As geopolitical tensions demand more robust, decentralized, and jam-resistant communication networks, Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) constellations are increasingly relied upon by defense and government users to provide resilient, low-latency operational capacity.

"Satellite connectivity is moving firmly into the mainstream," said Dimitri Buchs, Project Manager and Editor of the report. "The rapid expansion of NGSO capacity, declining bandwidth costs, and growing demand for resilient, always-available connectivity are fundamentally changing where and how satellite communications compete."

This operational shift is mirrored directly in the capacity markets. The global satellite capacity market is forecast to exceed $46 billion by 2035, more than tripling its 2025 valuation. The structural inversion of the market is starkly illustrated by video distribution: once the undisputed king of capacity utilization, Video Distribution is expected to account for a mere 3 percent of total capacity revenues by the end of the forecast period. Conversely, Consumer Broadband and Milsatcom will command more than 50 percent of all capacity revenues combined.

Technological Catalysts: High-Throughput Satellites and NGSO Constellations

The democratization of space-based bandwidth is fundamentally altering the economic models of telecommunications. The proliferation of High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) systems, coupled with a surging number of operational and planned NGSO constellations, has driven bandwidth costs down significantly. These technological efficiencies are actively accelerating the expansion of satellite connectivity into high-volume, mass-market consumer and enterprise applications.

Leading commercial operators, most notably SpaceX’s Starlink, are increasingly contesting terrestrial broadband providers on both price and performance. By offering high-speed, low-latency internet services directly to underserved rural regions and congested urban markets alike, satellite broadband has successfully transitioned from a niche backup solution into a primary, highly viable alternative to traditional fiber-optic and terrestrial wireless infrastructures.

Furthermore, these technological advancements have breathed new life into the Geostationary Orbit (GEO) manufacturing and launch sectors. After experiencing a historic low point that saw only six commercial GEO orders placed globally in 2024, the market staged a notable rebound. Operators recorded 10 commercial GEO orders in 2025, and momentum continued through the third quarter of 2026, with an additional 14 orders logged by mid-September. This renewed activity highlights a sophisticated industry adaptation: rather than a simple binary choice between orbits, satellite operators are aggressively embracing multi-orbit strategies that leverage the massive coverage of GEO alongside the ultra-low latency of NGSO constellations.

"This is not a return to the traditional GEO model," Buchs emphasized. "Software-defined satellites, more flexible commercial models, sovereign requirements, and growing multi-orbit strategies are redefining GEO’s role. The future of satellite communications will not be GEO or NGSO—it will increasingly be an ecosystem in which each architecture serves distinct and complementary requirements."

Inside the Novaspace Report: Methodology and Scope

The 33rd edition of the Satellite Connectivity and Video Market report delivers an exhaustive, granular assessment of the global space communications sector. Covering metrics through 2035, the study evaluates worldwide service revenues, capacity demand curves, evolving pricing structures, competitive market dynamics, and corporate operator strategies across multiple verticals, including video, broadband, enterprise, mobility, government, and defense.

A key methodological advancement in this year’s edition is the introduction of a sophisticated, bottom-up model designed specifically for Enterprise Networks Back-up terminals. This enhancement provides industry stakeholders with unprecedented visibility into granular market demand and deployment trends. Additionally, the report features a thoroughly revised commercial Milsatcom model, offering deeper, more actionable analysis segmented by geographic region, frequency band, and underlying infrastructure type.

Beyond quantitative forecasting, the publication addresses the complex macroeconomic and regulatory factors reshaping the industry. It incorporates updated evaluations of NGSO constellation evolutions, the emergence of Q/V frequency bands, changing international regulatory frameworks, shifting government procurement priorities, and the intensifying commercial rivalry between satellite operators and terrestrial telecommunications giants.

Industry Implications and the Broader Ecosystem

The data and projections compiled by Novaspace underscore a critical reality for telecommunications executives, defense planners, and policy makers: space is no longer an auxiliary layer of global communications infrastructure, but its core backbone.

As data traffic scales exponentially, the boundarylines separating terrestrial and extraterrestrial networks continue to blur. Telecom operators that once viewed satellite providers as distant competitors are increasingly forming strategic partnerships to backhaul cellular traffic, extend 5G services to remote corridors, and guarantee enterprise business continuity. In the defense sector, the integration of commercial NGSO and GEO architectures into sovereign command-and-control systems signifies a permanent shift toward commercial-off-the-shelf reliance for national security.

Ultimately, the decade leading up to 2035 will reward adaptability. Organizations capable of navigating multi-orbit integration, leveraging software-defined payload flexibility, and addressing soaring sovereign and consumer data demands will capture the lion’s share of the $145 billion market. As bandwidth costs decline and global connectivity becomes an indispensable utility akin to electricity or water, the satellite services industry stands on the precipice of its most lucrative and transformative era.