Relaunch guarantee

When a launch fails, the satellite operator loses two things: the satellite itself and the launch. Launch insurance pays in money, which makes it possible to have a new satellite built, but not necessarily to obtain a new launch quickly, since slots are booked years in advance. The relaunch guarantee, offered by some launch providers, addresses this second problem: after a failure attributable to the launcher, the provider undertakes to supply a new launch, free or at reduced price, within an agreed time. It is a commercial advantage for the provider, which thereby shows confidence in its vehicle's reliability, and it reduces the operator's delay risk, often costlier than the physical loss because each month without a satellite is a month without revenue and sometimes the loss of an orbital slot or frequency. It does not replace insurance: the value of the lost satellite, engineering costs and business interruption still need cover. For the insurer, it changes exposure, since it transfers part of the delay risk to the provider, and it combines with the cross-waiver clauses that limit recourse among the parties to the launch.