Research & method
The four methods and datasets below show how the work in The Demand Side is made. Each comes with its date, its source and what it cannot tell you.
Demand Transition Framework
Case studies · 2026
Seven European space companies, placed by how mature their customer base is and how repeatable their business model is. The framework separates one-off projects from repeatable products or services, and institutional dependence from recurring demand.
I placed each company from public evidence, so a position is a judgement of order rather than a measurement. Seven chosen cases can show sequences; they cannot show cause or speak for the whole sector.
Two sequences discussed in the case study: productise first (A→C→D) or mature demand first (A→B→D). Open the interactive version.Who buys space in Europe
Public procurement · TED · since 2024
An interactive map of public contract awards in Europe whose subject is satellites, spacecraft, launch, ground infrastructure or data from space. For each country it shows who buys, what they buy, and which suppliers win, with a link to every notice on TED.
Only notices published on TED from January 2024 that name a winner. Most ESA purchasing, contracts in the United Kingdom and purchases below the EU thresholds are not included. Published values are often framework ceilings rather than amounts paid.
Source: van de Haar, H. (2026). Who buys space in Europe. The Demand Side. Data: TED, Publications Office of the European Union.
Website audit
Snapshot · July 2026
I reviewed 105 European space company websites; 98 were readable. Each readable site was scored against six criteria covering its offer, customer evidence and next steps.
The audit scores what a website says, as I read it. How well those companies sell, or how their buyers use the site, is outside what it can show.
Website scores
Number of sites at each score. Rust marks the median.
You can filter by country or by segment, one at a time; choosing one resets the other.
Scoring method and limits
Each site receives one point for each of the following:
- A concrete use case.
- A stated buyer segment.
- A headline that leads with the outcome.
- A named paying customer.
- A visible way to buy.
- A concrete next step.
I coded the sites on 16, 22 and 23 July 2026, re-added the totals and checked a sample live. It is one analyst’s reading, without customer testing, and sites may have changed since.
Scores are shown in aggregate. Only sites with the maximum score are named; the other companies remain anonymous. Country and segment filters cannot be combined because some combinations identify individual firms.
Sites that scored 6 out of 6
These sites met all six criteria at the time of the July review.
Source: van de Haar, H. (2026). The website audit. The Demand Side, July 2026.
Commercial Hiring Index
July 2026 baseline · Research note in draft
The index measures the commercial share of advertised roles on public company job boards. Its quarterly series follows a fixed panel of 44 companies.
In July 2026, 8.7% of the 622 advertised roles were commercial. There were 8.4 engineering vacancies per commercial vacancy.
An advertised role says nothing certain about actual hiring, headcount or spending, and the panel is a fixed set of companies rather than a sample of the whole sector.
Method and historical broad panel
I classify each open role by function. The panel stays fixed so that quarters can be compared. I re-add the totals and check a selection of job boards live, but I do not collect every vacancy a second time.
The old broad panel is on hold pending further verification. Its July snapshot covered 100 companies and 1,109 roles, with a commercial share of 9.2% and 7.7 engineering vacancies per commercial vacancy. These historical figures are retained for reference. They are separate from the fixed quarterly series and are not a current market estimate.
The draft PDF contains the method and company tables for both panels. Corrections are recorded with the figures. The next planned fixed-panel revision is Q4 2026.
Source: van de Haar, H. (2026). The Commercial Hiring Index. The Demand Side, Version 2, July 2026. Specify the panel when citing.
The Demand Side
Read the published editions for the analysis and source references.