Earth is running out of space rockets

The space-flight industry is being held up as so many nations and companies are desperate to send people into orbit.

Up to 100 lunar missions are scheduled to take place in the next decade and launch vehicle providers have explained that there are now difficulties in finding lift-off spots.

Tim Ellis, of the US aerospace manufacturer Relativity, revealed that "almost every company that we talk to is worried" about rocket availability.

He said: "You have a lot of people that are trying to hit specific deadlines to getting spacecraft to orbit."

Tory Bruno, of United Launch Alliance, added: "There is now, for the first time in 30 years, a global shortage of launch capacity which is going to last about a decade."

The shortage also stems from Russia's decision to withdraw from the International Space Station (ISS) project after 2024 amid tensions with the West due to the Ukraine war.

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