Illustration by TSMC
WASHINGTON — A new report from supply-chain intelligence firm Altana quantifies the extent to which the U.S. commercial space industry remains dependent on components sourced from Chinese suppliers. At the same time, space companies face mounting pressure to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers viewed as security risks by the Pentagon.
In an analysis released May 20, Altana said that since 2022 more than 849,000 commercial space imports had exposure to Chinese suppliers at the third tier of the supply chain or further upstream. Another 15,000 imports included Russian-origin components in their product value chains, according to the report.
The report also found that 26.8% of semiconductor-related imports tied to the commercial space sector had direct or near-upstream exposure to Taiwanese manufacturers.
The findings come as supply-chain resilience has become a concern across the U.S. space industry, particularly as the Pentagon increasingly relies on commercial satellite operators, launch companies and other private-sector suppliers for national security programs.
