\documentclass[authoryear,times,review,12pt,3p]{elsarticle} %special commands \newcommand{\ds}{\displaystyle} \newtheorem{lem}{Lemma}[section] \newtheorem{prop}{Proposition}[section] % Special Characters %model I \newcommand{\E}{\mathbb{E}} \newcommand{\cv}{c_{V}} \newcommand{\cs}{c_{S}} \newcommand{\piv}{\pi_{V}^I} \newcommand{\pis}{\pi_{S}^I} %model IG \newcommand{\pgv}{\pi_{V}^{IG}} \newcommand{\pgs}{\pi_{S}^{IG}} %model B \newcommand{\cvb}{c_{VB}} \newcommand{\csb}{c_{SB}} \newcommand{\pbs}{\pi_{S}^B} \newcommand{\pbv}{\pi_{V}^B} \newcommand{\eb}{e^B} \newcommand{\rb}{r^B} \newcommand{\pb}{p^B} \newcommand{\kb}{k^{B}} \newcommand{\pbb}{p^{B*}} %Model BG \newcommand{\pbgs}{\pi_{S}^{BG}} \newcommand{\pbgv}{\pi_{V}^{BG}} \newcommand{\rv}{r_{V}} \newcommand{\rvb}{r_{V}^B} \newcommand{\vso}{V_{SO}} \newcommand{\vvm}{V_{VM}} %refer to website \usepackage{url} % enable math symbols \usepackage[cmex10]{amsmath} \usepackage{mdwmath} \usepackage{amssymb} % mdwtab can be used to align equations and tables \usepackage{array} \usepackage{mdwtab} \usepackage{graphicx} % powful tools for table \usepackage{booktabs} \usepackage{tabularx} \usepackage{multirow} \usepackage{rotating} \usepackage[flushleft]{threeparttable} % change the position of figures or tables \usepackage{float} \usepackage{subcaption} % only used in revisions \usepackage{changes} % self-defined commands or simply \newcommand{\reffig}[1]{Figure~\ref{#1}} \newcommand{\reftab}[1]{Table~\ref{#1}} \newcommand{\refequ}[1]{Equation~(\ref{#1})} \newcommand{\refcstr}[1]{Constraint~\ref{#1}} \newcommand{\refsec}[1]{Section~\ref{#1}} \newcommand{\refalg}[1]{Algorithm~\ref{#1}} \newcommand{\reflem}[1]{Lemma~\ref{#1}} \newcommand{\refprop}[1]{Proposition~\ref{#1}} % change the journal name before submitting \journal{Journal of XYZ} \begin{document} \begin{frontmatter} \title{ Coordination of insured satellite launch supply chain: government subsidy or blockchain implementation?} \author[]{xxx}\ead{xxx@ucas.ac.cn} \author[SEMUCAS,BDCAS]{xxxx}\ead{xxx@ucas.ac.cn} \author[SEMUCAS,BDCAS]{xxx\corref{Cor}}\ead{CorrespondingAuthor@ucas.ac.cn} \address[SDCUCAS]{Sino-Danish College, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.3(A) Zhongguancun South Yitiao Road, Beijing 100190, China} \address[SEMUCAS]{School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 80 Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing 100190, China} \address[BDCAS]{Key Laboratory of Big Data Mining and Knowledge Management, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 80 Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing 100190, China.} \cortext[Cor]{Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 10 88250000; fax: +86 10 88250000.} \begin{abstract} % problem definition: what is the business problem The commercial launch industry is booming but abounds enormous-loss risks, which is similar to the disruption risk in the supply chain. Traditionally, launch insurance is the commonly used financial tool to hedge such risks. And lots of governments have implemented the measures for subsidizing the insurance fee for commercial space launches in order to promote the development of the commercial space industry, stimulate the innovation vitality of enterprises and accelerate the promotion of manufacturing in the commercial aerospace field. Nowadays, with the development of blockchain technology, it also is implemented to decrease launch risks from a technical perspective. However, the cost of both launch insurance and blockchain technology stop lots of satellite owners who think they are not cost-effective. % Academic /Practice relevance: what have others done In this paper, we apply a game-theoretic approach to study the fintech launch contract supported by government subsidy or blockchain for solving the trade-off between high risk and high cost. More precisely, we consider a Stackelberg strategy in a space launch supply chain and build math models to examine the cases with launch insurance (Model I), with government-subsidy(Model IG) and with blockchain-embedded (Model IB). From a theoretical perspective, we investigate the optimal launch price and the optimal effort (for improving launch success probability) expressions. We find that if the government wants to form a virtuous circle and optimize the allocation of funds, it should screen when subsidizing satellite companies, rather than unconditional subsidies. In addition, we also find that the subsidy do not benefit consumers, but blockchain can. Once the blockchain technology is adopted, contract prices go up, VM exerts more effort, and the premium rate always is lower as the launch missions become more efficient and believable. Moreover, when the satellite owner choose an inexpensive vehicle for launch, the cost-advantage BEL platform is beneficial to all participants. Finally, coupling with these findings, we further discuss the managerial implications for the commercial space launch market. \end{abstract} \begin{keyword} Satellite launch \sep insurance\sep government subsidy \sep blockchain \sep commercial launch supply chain \end{keyword} % \section{Highlights} % (1) This paper investigates the implement of blockchain technologies in the commercial launch industry, which can effectively improve the efficient of data flow.\par % (2)Two mathematical models have been built: insurance model and blockchain-embedded model. \par % (3) Uncover the threshold of using blockchain for each participant.\par % (4) Reveal the adoption of blockchain can improve supply chain members to achieve a win-win situation. \par \end{frontmatter} % usually, add a new page before introduction \newpage \section{Introduction}\label{sec:introduction} \subsection{Background} % 商业卫星行业的兴起。商业航空越来越重要。 % With the prosperity of commercial space, more and more % The global space economy is growing. Governments around the world are realising the potential the space industry could be bringing into their respective economies. An exceptional amount of capital is being invested both by governments and the private sector.\par % With commercial passenger sub-orbital launches imminent, human spaceflight will become more commonplace. The “NewSpace” arena also has projects ranging from active debris removal and artificial shooting stars missions to lunar gateway and space hotel concepts as well as human lunar and Mars missions.\par % Space insurance has always been an enabler of new projects, providing both hull and liability coverages. Despite the market and technical challenges, space insurers will continue to support the industry going forward.\par Due to Earth’s insatiable need for information and communication, the artificial satellite industry is booming. The ability of satellites to collect signals and data extensively, even from places hard to reach, allows for a variety of functions such as providing satellite telecommunication, satisfying weather and climate monitoring, supporting satellite television (BskyB, Direct TV, SkyTV and Dish), meeting Global Positioning System (GPS) needs, and serving for military and scientific. Since the 1980s, with the privatization of telecommunication organizations as well as the development of space laws and regulatory regimes, commercial space has begun to sprout \citep{OECD2014}. Furthermore, SpaceX Falcon 9 delivering the SES-8 satellite into orbit marks on Dec.3th, 2013, marks the rise of the private space launch market \citep{spacex}. Space is no longer confined to government and military agencies like NASA and its contractors but expanding rapidly via private commercial companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Cloud Constellation Corporation, and more. According to \cite{TheSpaceReport2021}, the space economy grew $176\%$ during the last 15 years, reaching $447$ billion dollars in 2020. It is worth noting that $80\%$ of the total income is contributed by the commercial space. In addition, there are more than 1,100 SmallSats launched in 2020, which is twice in average size over the same period. Thus the space launch market gradually plays a pivotal part in modern societies and economic growth. In parallel, the vigorous development of the space economy also points that the needs of operation management implanting in the space launch market are increasing \citep{Kucukcay}. %商业航天面临的问题 While the successful SpaceX mission has created new enthusiasm for commercial satellite launching, there are still many risks that should not be ignored in satellite launch services, such as the responsibility of the vehicle, the indicators of the satellite, the condition of the launch activity so on. In addition, many private investors are hesitant about investing in space businesses because of the costly infrastructure and extended timelines. From the perspective of private companies, once the launch fails, the loss for both satellite owner and launch servicer is enormous. While governmental and military satellites are usually self-insured, commercial satellite owners often require insurance to be in place.\par % 解决商业航天风险的一个途径是购买航天保险。 In order to hedge launch risks, space insurance emerged. Insurance companies like Global Aerospace have been providing insurance for space initiatives since the first commercial satellites and launch vehicles required financial support to cover their risk. New concepts and technologies such as prominent constellations of satellites have distinctive risk profiles requiring unique coverages. According to the satellite launch project process, space insurance is roughly divided into four types of coverage which reflect the various phases of most satellite projects - pre-launch insurance \footnote{ Pre-launch insurance covers damage to a satellite or launch vehicle during the construction, transportation, and processing phases prior to launch.}, launch insurance \footnote{ Launch insurance covers losses of a satellite occurring during the launch phase of a project. It insures against complete launch failures as well as the failure of a launch vehicle to place a satellite in the proper orbit.}, in-orbit insurance \footnote{In-orbit policies insure satellites for in-orbit technical problems and damages once a satellite has been placed by a launch vehicle in its proper orbit.}, and launch plus life insurance \footnote{Third-party liability and government property insurances protect launch service providers and their customers in the event of public injury or government property damage, respectively, caused by launch or mission failure.}. The launch insurance is usually the most widely focused \citep{Suchodolski2018} because the launch is the riskiest part of any space activity, and the damage is often catastrophic. \citep{Gould2000, Kunstadter2020}. \par % 除了在金融方面补偿风险外,还可以通过提升技术的方式降低发射失败率。 In addition to compensating for risk financially, reducing the launch failure rate on the technical side is also an available way for commercial space companies. While commercialized space projects have braved all the challenges, they are still involved in conventional economic models that may hamper their growth and success. Luckily, blockchain technology supports building smart contracts and tracking data, considered a disruptive technology that facilitates data flow. In the real world, companies are emerging to implementing blockchain technology specifically for space launches, such as SpaceChain, IBM and Cloud Constellation Corporation. The blockchain is used to deal with the above complexities such as contracts, order tracking, parts assembly, shipments, design and test documents, test results data, near real-time data, workflows for approvals, auditing, launch, and control, which make the project more visible, responsive and mitigate costly interruptions during the launch, in other words, it increases the probability of successful launch \citep{Zheng2021}. Here are the main features in details of blockchain about supporting space launch:\par % % \begin{table}[htbp] % \scriptsize % \caption{\label{tab:blockchain features} Features of blockchain about supporting space launch} % \centering % \begin{threeparttable} % \begin{tabular}{c p{0.6\columnwidth}} % lcr: left, center, right % \toprule % Features & Details\\ % \midrule % Responsiveness & It enable intelligent, end-to-end supply chain visibility and transparency which allows participants owning permission to check and record data.\\ (1) Reliability: The verified data on the blockchain launch platform is reliable, which cannot be changed based on decentralizing electronic record-keeping. \par (2) Efficiency: Blockchain supports the smart contract to build an efficient network between the participants who get a node to share, add and update information. % \bottomrule % \end{tabular} % \end{threeparttable} % \end{table} % %what is the trade off (the good thing and the bad thing) and what we do Despite the ideas given above being excellent, both space insurance and blockchain technology are high-cost, which make lots of private space companies hesitate to adopt them. Considering the trade-off between handling risk and considerable cost, we examine the contract price problem. From the perspective of operation management, we refer to the participants as supply chain members and simplify the question as a two-echelon supply chain consisting of a satellite owner and vehicle manufacturer who provide the launch service. We examine how the insurance contract and blockchain technology to help improve the supply chain value and how it affects the contract price in the supply chain. We consider two modes: 1) the satellite owner contract with the vehicle manufacturer under insurance; 2) the satellite owner contracts with the vehicle manufacturer under blockchain-embedded insurance. \subsection{Research questions and key findings} Motivated by the application of fintech and the importance of space launching operation management in the real world, we theoretically study the research questions listed below:\par RQ1. How to analytically build the mathematical models under traditional launch insurance and blockchain-embedded launch insurance, respectively? How to price the launch service contract for the satellite owner? Furthermore, how to make the optimal decision for the vehicle manufacturer? \par RQ2. When will the blockchain launch platform be feasible and how does it affect the optimal decisions? \par RQ3. What are the blockchain values for the satellite owner and the vehicle manufacturer, respectively? When will the presence of the blockchain launch platform achieve a win-win in which both the satellite owner, and the vehicle manufacturer are beneficial?\par To address the above research questions, we conduct a game-theoretic analytical study by building math models. By arithmetic derivation and analysis, we obtain the following results: (1) When the anti-risk ability of the satellite owner is enhanced, the profits of both the satellite owner and the vehicle manufacturer will increase. Significantly, the implementation of the blockchain launch platform will make this effect more pronounced. Moreover, the adoption of blockchain will decrease the threshold of the satellite owner to set the optimal price. (2) Particularly, the optimal effort the vehicle manufacturer exert will increase and the contract price as well as the premium rate will decrease with the support of blockchain. (3) Via analyzing the value of blockchain, we note that the blockchain launch platform will always benefit the satellite owner no matter how weak her risk resistance is. However, it is profitable for the vehicle manufacturer to implement cost-advantage blockchain technology only when the satellite owner has a strong capacity for risk. \section{Literature review}\label{sec:review} Our paper is closely related to three research streams: supply chain insurance, space supply chain management and blockchain. We review them as follows. \subsection{Supply chain insurance} Our paper is closely related to the topic of insurance adopted to manage disruptive risk, which is a stream of supply chain finance. For a comprehensive overview, we refer readers to read \cite{Wang2021b}, \cite{Chakuu2019}, \cite{Xu2018}, \cite{Gelsomino2016}, \cite{Zhao2015}, and \cite{Gomm2010}. As a financial derivative instrument of risk aversion, insurance contracts can be seen as hedging at the expense of current profits and improving the risk tolerance by compensating the economic losses of enterprises when the supply chain disrupt caused by internal (e.g., the quality of products, the interruption of funds, and the disruption of logistic) or external (e.g., the change of weather, the pandemic of COVID-19, and the change of market) risks \citep{Sodhi2012a, Heckmann2015}.\par According to the type of risks, the literature of supply chain insurance contracts can be reducible to two categories. (1) One is to hedge internal risks by combining insurance contracts with supply chain contracts. As insurance contracts could coordinate the supply chain \citep{Lin2010}, researchers compared it with the revenue sharing contract according to different agents’ risk aversion based on the newsvendor model. Besides, \cite{Wang2021} also discussed which contract is better for the supply chain partners between the advanced payment contract, penalty contract, and time insurance contract in the express delivery supply chain.\par (2) Another is to study the trade-off between high commercial insurance and the substantial economic losses caused by external risks. The typical market risk of demand uncertainty is a thorny question that the newsvendor model faces thus \cite{LodreeJr2008} design an insurance policy framework to quantify the risks and benefits, which give decision-makers a practical approach to prepare for supply chain disruptions. Moreover, \cite{Yu2021} considered the interrupt probability of the supply chain and illustrate the value of business interruption insurance which increases the profit of each participant. \cite{Brusset2018} constructed a weather index through case studies that transfer entrepreneurial risk to other risk-takers through insurance or options contracts. Similar to these researches, our paper also adopts the insurance contract to hedge the interrupt risk while the focal point is in the space launch supply chain, which is remarkable for technical complexity, high quality \& reliability requirements, and colossal failure losses. %However, we also combine the blockchain technology with supply chain management which is timely and important. \subsection{Space supply chain management} At present, supply chain management in space era is initiated by research institutes, universities and researchers. Such as China Aerospace Industry Corporation, European Space Agency and Indian Space Research Organisation conducted a series of research on space supply chain management \citep{Kucukcay}. Moreover one of the famous works is the Interplanetary Supply Chain Management and Logistics Architectures project from \cite{MIT}, which develops an integrated supply chain management framework for space logistics.\par According to the types of existing studies in this topic, they can be reducible to two categories:\par (1) One kind of research focuses on optimizing the operating system to improve the efficiency from mathematical models and simulation. \cite{Galluzzi2006} regarded supply chain management as a critical piece of framework in the aerospace industry, and they elaborated the pattern operation in this area. \cite{Taylor2006} also designed and evaluated the operating system in the space supply chain, but they primarily engaged in optimizing delivery operation, which sustains the exploration initiative. Moreover, \cite{Gralla2006} gave a comprehensive model and simulation of the supply chain management implemented in the aerospace industry, which is low-volume and schedule-driven compared to the high-volume and market demand-driven SCM in the commercial sector.\par (2) Another type of study starred in analyzing the business problem in supply chain management. The research on this topic is relatively few. \cite{Wooten2018} examined the space industry's operation management, which involves manufacturing operations, supply chain management, and sustainable operations. Besides, they also outlined the challenges and essential questions related to stakeholders. \cite{Raghunath2021} discussed the challenges that commercial space operation faces from a business perspective. Furthermore, \cite{Guo2021} comprehensively analyzed the global aerospace industry's current situation and future development from the upstream supply chain, midstream production chain, and downstream application chain. In addition, \cite{Donelli2021} considered the profitability and efficiency during the aircraft manufacturing and supply chain. The paper proposed a model-based approach to optimal the multiple-choice. Furthermore, \cite{Dewicki} also based on operational management analyze the business model in commercial space. \par As review literature, most papers target SCM in space give the mathematical model from optimizing logistics, even the system flow. While our paper builds models from the business angle, we concentrate on the game theory between participants during the launch activity. \subsection{Blockchain technology support supply chain management} % congbudong jiaodu d qukuail yanjiu; As a “trust ledger”, blockchain has overwhelming advantage of data storage such as openness, transparency, tampering, and traceability, which make it possible to manipulate higher quality data \citep{Choi2019}, improving the supply chain efficiency and so on \citep{Chod2020}. According to its characters, \cite{Queiroz2019,Wang2019,Babich2020, Li2022} gave the review of this topic.\par Besides, more and more scholars have begun to study the application of blockchain in the supply chain. (1) Inside the supply chain, (i) in upriver, blockchain technology facilitates the flow of raw materials from the suppliers \citep{ Naydenova2017, Nash2016}; (ii) in the midstream, it promotes the exchange of manufacture information and design smart contracts between participants in the supply chain upstream and downstream and achieve coordination eventually \citep{Moise2018, Hilary2022, Chod2020,Korpela2017,Wang2021a}. (2) Outside the supply chain, (i) face the third party, it provides an innovative way for the capital constraint companies to finance \citep{Choi2020,Choi2021}; (ii) face the market, it helps products to fight counterfeits, earn trust of customers and win company reputation in the market \citep{Pun2021, Shen2021,Fan2020}.\par Regarding our topic, this article mainly refers to articles on the application of blockchain in the space supply chain. \cite{Adhikari2020} gave a clearly analysis on the implementation of blockchain in the area of space cybersecurity framework against global positioning system spoofing. \cite{Zheng2021} studied a three-tier space supply chain under the decision-making problem and investigated how blockchain technology optimizes decisions based on information sharing. Moreover, \cite{HylandWood2020} examined three potential blockchain properties applied in space: real-time communication during the interplanetary space operating and operations realm of the solar system. However, different from them, this article's focal point is on launching a service supply chain supported by fintech ( blockchain-embedded insurance) to facilitate launching risks and contract pricing. \subsection{Summary} Supply chain insurance and blockchain technology adoption are essential topics in space launch operation management. Motivated by real-world blockchain application such as IBM and Cloud Constellation Corporation are working together to build a blockchain-based platform in the space launch supply chain, this paper theoretically investigates the blockchain-embedded insurance model operations. The insights not only contribute to the literature in operation management but also advance the industrial knowledge regarding blockchain launch platforms.\par The following parts in this paper are organized as: \refsec{sec:models} establishes the main models and investigates corresponding optimal decisions, one for insurance model (model I) and the other for blockchain-embedded insurance model (Model B). \refsec{sec:value} further demonstrates the effect on optimal decisions and value for participants brought by the blockchain-embedded launch platform. \refsec{sec:conclusions} concludes this study and gives analytical insights. \section{Without blockchain technology} \label{sec:models} Consider a make-to-order supply chain consisting of one vehicle manufacturer (VM, he), one satellite owner (SO, she) and an insurance company (IC, it). As shown in \reffig{fig:sequence}, to launch the satellite successfully, the SO usually conducts a series analyses to choose the vehicle and design the launch service contract with launch price $l$ and prepay ratio $\alpha$. Once the satellite is on-track, the SO will pay VM last part $(1-\alpha)p$ and she will obtain income from sailing satellite data. Without loss generality, consumers possess a stochastic valuation $u$ towards the satellite data, which follows a distribution $f(u)$. Following most literature, we set $f(u)$ follows a uniform distribution with a rage of $0-1$, denoted by $U[0,1]$. To avoid facing messy mathematics, we normalize the consumer population as $1$. % the SO has already signed contracts future servicing missions at income $F$ before launching \citep{SpaceFund2022}, which rely on satellite service to function. So the satellite income also is one factor that SO needs to consider while designing the launch contract, which is an indicator of her risk resistance \citep{Li2010}. \par As common in launch activity, our models capture two typical features in the space supply chain. First, the launch activity is risky, which means there is a probability for the satellite operating in its final orbital position. The VM can improve the probability of mission success (aka reliability) by exerting costly efforts (e.g., improving technologies, equipment or processes) \citep{Bailey2020, Kunstadter2020}. Following \cite{Tang2018}, we scale the base launch success probability to 0. To increase the probability from 0 to $e$, where $e \in (0, 1)$, the VM needs to exert effort associated with a disutility (cost of effort) $ke^2$ with $k > 0$. The setting of such a disutility is common in many models.\par Notedly, a launch failure is costly to all involved parties. For the SO, she will lost her satellite and the income. For the VM, what he will face is not only the current contract loss but also the damage of his reputation and future business as well as financing. To reflect the VM's additional loss, a penalty denoted by $\theta$ is adopted into the profit function. %\textcolor{red}{cite:Williams-Robert-COVERING-THE-INCREASED-LIABILITY-OF-NEW-LAUNCH-MARKETS.pdf} Considering the launch risk, it is natural that SO attempts to purchase launch insurance before launching to hedge risks. IC designs the launch insurance according to the analyses of conducting serious technological analyses of satellite and the VM. Once the launch fails, the IC usually pays pro rata compensation. We assume the claim covers $\beta$ of the whole loss including the cost of satellite and the prepay price. \textcolor{red}{references} We summarize the notation used throughout the paper in \reftab{tab:Parameters}. \begin{table}[htbp] \scriptsize \caption{\label{tab:Parameters} Notation} \centering \begin{threeparttable} \begin{tabular}{ll} % lcr: left, center, right \toprule Variable & Remark\\ \midrule Model I & Satellite launch supply chain with insurance\\ Model IG& Satellite launch supply chain with government-subsidized insurance \\ Model B & Blockchain-embedded satellite launch supply chain with insurance \\ Model BG & Blockchain-embedded satellite launch supply chain with government-subsidized insurance \\ $d$ & The benefit of satellite data brought to customers\\ $p$ & The satellite data retail price \\ $l$ & The launching service price \\ $\alpha$ & The upfront payment ratio \\ $e$& The “rate of successful launch ”, which is the same as “the level of effort the VM exerting” in this paper \\ $k$& The cost coefficient of effort\\ $r$ &The premium rate \\ $g$& The government-subsidized launch insurance premium rates\\ $c_i$& The cost of VM $(i= V)$ or SO $(i= S)$ \\ %\textcolor{red}{Payment for a launch is usually subdivided in several installments. A first rate will usually be charged upon reservation of a certain flight opportunity, while the second one is due upon launch service agreement signature. As soon as the ICD is finalized, a third rate applies and the final part is charged when the launch has been performed.} $\theta$ & The penalty of a failed launch for VM\\ $k$ & The effort cost factor\\ $\pi_i$ & The profit of vehicle manufacture$(i= V)$ or satellite owner $(i= S)$ or insurance company $(i=I)$\\ $CS$& The consumer surplus\\ $SW$& The social welfare\\ \bottomrule \end{tabular} \begin{tablenotes} \item[a] Subscripts $S$, $V$ and $I$ are the indices of SO, VM and IC respectively. \item[b] Superscript $I$, $IG$, $B$ and $BG$ to describe function and decisions in model I, model IG, model B and model BG respectively. \end{tablenotes} \end{threeparttable} \end{table} % TODO: \usepackage{graphicx} required \begin{figure}[H] \centering \includegraphics[width=1\linewidth]{sequences.pdf} \caption{Sequence of events. SO :the satellite owner; VM: the vehicle manufacture; IC: the insurance company. } \label{fig:sequence} \end{figure} \subsection{Model I: Satellite launch supply chain with insurance } \label{sec:modeli} Acting as the Stackelberg leader, the SO sets the contract terms and the VM, as the follower, decides whether to accept the contract. Without loss of generality, we focus on the following contract: the SO pays the VM a certain $\alpha$ of launch price $l$ upfront when launch services are procured. \citep{Andrews2011,Barschke2020} Furthermore, when the launch is successful, the VM then receives the balance of the payment $(1-\alpha)*l$ for services or $0$ otherwise. Concerning risk, the SO buys the launch insurance with the premium rate $r$ to compensate the loss if the launch failed. \reffig{fig:sequence} shows the sequence of events corresponding to the game model. Therefore, the market demand and payoff function, $D^I$ and $\pis$, faces by the SO can be measured as follows: \begin{eqnarray}\label{eq:id} % \left\{ \begin{aligned} D^I &= 1 \int_{p-d}^{1}{f\left( u \right) \mathrm{d} u}= 1-p+d \\ \end{aligned} % \right. \end{eqnarray} \begin{eqnarray}\label{eq:iso:payoff} % \left\{ \begin{aligned} \max_{l,p} \E [\pis(l, p, e, r)] &= epD -[\alpha + e(1-\alpha) ]l - r (\cs + \alpha l) + (1-e)\beta (\cs + \alpha l)- \cs,\\ % s.t.~pD &\geq \cs + l \end{aligned} % \right. \end{eqnarray} As shown, $\pis$ consists of five parts: (1) the income she can obtain once the satellite works in orbit $epD$; (2) the expect launch service price $[\alpha+e(1-\alpha)]l$; (3) the premium for the launch insurance $ r (\cs + \alpha l)$; (4) the compensate she will get once the launch failed $(1-e)\beta (\cs + \alpha l) $. (5) the cost of building the satellite $ \cs$. Without loss of generality, the satellite income covers its building and launch cost; i.e., the SO sets a contract only when $pD\geq\cs + l $.\par As depicted in \reffig{fig:sequence}, the VM accepts a contract with price $l$ and receives the prepayment $\alpha*l$ from the SO, then he manufactures the rocket which cost $c_v$. If the vehicle launch successfully, he receives the last $(1-\alpha )*l$ from the SO. If launching is failed, the VM not only receives no payment but also suffers penalty which monetized as $\theta$ . Therefore, the VM’s objective is to maximize his expected payoff $\piv$ as follows: \begin{eqnarray}\label{eq:vm:payoff} % \left\{ \begin{aligned} \max_e \E [\piv(l, p, e)] &=[\alpha + e (1 - \alpha) ]l - (1 - e) \theta - (ke^2 + \cv),\\ s.t.~\piv &\geq 0 \end{aligned} % \right. \end{eqnarray} As shown, $\piv$ consists of three parts: (1) the prepaid income and expected gain upon successful launch $[\alpha + e (1 - \alpha) ]l$, (2) the expected loss of failure penalty in the event of launch failure $(1 - e) \theta$, and (3) the cost of effort and vehicle $ke^2 + \cv$. The non-negative profit constraint ensures the profitability of launch successfully; otherwise, the VM will quit the cooperation. \subsubsection{The VM’s effort} We now solve the Stackelberg game as depicted in \reffig{fig:sequence} using backward induction. First, given any launch price $l$, by considering the first-order condition of \refequ{eq:vm:payoff}, the VM’s best response is given as: \begin{eqnarray}\label{eq:ei} %\nonumber e(l)&=\frac{(1-\alpha)l+\theta}{2k},\\ ~s.t.&0l_{VA}$) } & \multicolumn{1}{c}{$\cv \geq H(\alpha)$ (i.e., $I_{VA} \geq l_S$ ) } \\ \midrule Effort of VM exerting $e^*$& $\frac{\phi}{16(1-\alpha)k}$ & $\frac{\omega-\alpha k }{(1-\alpha)k}$ \\ Launch price $l^*$& $l^*=l_{S}=\frac{\phi-8\theta(1-\alpha)}{8(1-\alpha)^2}$& $ l^*=l_{VA}= \frac{2\omega-2\alpha k-(1-\alpha) \theta}{(1-\alpha)^2}$\\ Retail price $p^*$& $\frac{1+d}{2}$& $\frac{1+d}{2}$\\ Premium rate $r^*$& $\beta(1-\frac{\phi}{16(1-\alpha)k})$& $\beta\frac{k-\omega}{(1-\alpha)k}$\\ SO's profit $\pis$& $\frac{\phi^2}{128(1-\alpha)^2k}+\frac{\alpha \theta}{(1-\alpha)} -\cs$& $\frac{(\omega-\alpha k)(\phi+8\alpha k-8\omega)}{4(1-\alpha )^2k}+\frac{\alpha \theta}{(1-\alpha)}-\cs$\\ VM's profit $\piv$& $\frac{\phi^2+32\alpha k\phi}{256(1-\alpha)^2k}-\frac{ \theta}{(1-\alpha)}-\cv$& $0$\\ Consumer surplus $CS$& $\frac{(1+d)^2}{8}$& $\frac{(1+d)^2}{8}$&\\ Social welfare $SW$& $\frac{3\phi^2+32\alpha k\phi}{256(1-\alpha)^2k}- \theta-\cs-\cv+\frac{(1+d)^2}{8}$& $\frac{(\omega-\alpha k)(\phi+8\alpha k-8\omega)}{4(1-\alpha )^2k}+\frac{\alpha \theta}{(1-\alpha)}-\cs+\frac{(1+d)^2}{8}$\\ \bottomrule \end{tabular} \begin{tablenotes} \item To avoid complicated writing, we define $\phi=(1-\alpha)(1+d)^2+4(1-\alpha)\theta-8\alpha k$, $\omega=\sqrt{(1-\alpha)^2k\cv+\alpha ^2k^2-(1-\alpha)k\theta}$. \end{tablenotes} \end{table*} Note that there are two cases in our equilibrium result that $\cv\phi$. The premium rate $r$ will decrease, affected by government subsidy. (ii) When $\cv\geq H(\alpha)$, the successful launch probability, launch price, and the premium rate do not affect by the government subsidy. (iii) No matter the situation, the retail price doesn't change, which means the government subsidy program doesn't affect the market retail price. We will talk about the difference between model I and model IG in detail in \refsec{sec:values_g}. We now report the sensitivity analysis performing as shown in \reftab{tab:modeli_and_ig_sensitivity}. We find that the results of Model IG and Model I were very similar, but with three difference. Firstly, if the cost coefficient of effort $k$ increases, (i) when $0e^I$, $r^{IG}l^I$ if and only if $\cvH(\alpha)$, government subsidies will not be able to form the above positive feedback closed loop in the market. \begin{prop} \label{prop:values_profit} \begin{enumerate}[(i)] \item Given d, k, $\theta$: $\pgs>\pis$, $SW^{IG}>SW^I$.\par \item Given d, k, $\theta$: $\pgv>\piv$ if and only if $\cv\phi$, thus the successful launch probability, the launch price are higher than in model I; and the premium rate is lower than in Model I. (ii) When $\cv\geq H(\alpha)$, the equilibrium outcomes are not neat and cannot be directly compared which we will conduct analyze in detail in \refsec{sec:value_b}. (iii) Although the retail price is higher compared with model I, the consumer surplus in increase with the implementation of BCT. Notedly, the consumer surplus is only related to $b$, not to the cost of the blockchain. Therefore, as long as blockchain technology is adopted, the consumer surplus can be improved. As the sensitivity outcomes shown in \reftab{tab:modeli_and_ig_sensitivity} we now conduct the analysis. \begin{table*}[htbp] \scriptsize % \hspace*{-1cm} % apply this to move the table left, so that the right part of a wide table can be shown. \newcommand{\tabincell}[2]{\begin{tabular}{@{}#1@{}}#2\end{tabular}} \caption{\label{tab:modeli_and_b_sensitivity} Sensitivity analyses for Model I and Model IB.} \centering \renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1.3} \begin{tabular}{@{\extracolsep{1pt}}l*{14}{l}@{}} \toprule & {Model}&{Situation}&{$e^*$}&{$r^*$}&{$l^*$}&{$p^*$} &{$\pi_S$}&{$\pi_V$}&{$CS$}&{$SW$} \\ \midrule $d \uparrow$ & Model I &{$\cv < H(\alpha)$ } & $\uparrow$&$\downarrow$&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$\\ &&{$\cv \geq H(\alpha)$ }& -&-&-&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$&$-$&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$\\ &Model IB& {$\cv < H(\alpha)$ } & $\uparrow$&$\downarrow$&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$\\ &&{$\cv \geq H(\alpha)$ }& -&-&-&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$&$-$&$\uparrow$&$\uparrow$\\ $k \uparrow$ & Model I &{$\cv < H(\alpha)$ } & $\downarrow$&$\uparrow$&$\downarrow$&$-$&$\downarrow$: $kk_2$, which means BCT raises the threshold of the SO to change the trend of her profits. (ii) Secondly, if the failed-launch penalty$\theta$ increase, when $\cv\theta_{V3}$ and $\theta>\theta_{W3}$ both profits of them will decrease. (iii) If the benefits that blockchain brings to consumers $b$ increases, (a) when $\cv0$& $-\beta\frac{k\eta-\kb \phi}{16k\kb(1-\alpha)}<0$& $\frac{k\eta-\kb \phi+8\theta(1-\alpha)(\kb-k)}{16k\kb(1-\alpha)}>0$& $\frac{b}{2}>0$\\ &{$\cv \geq H(\alpha)$ }& $\frac{k\mu-\kb( \omega -\alpha)}{k\kb(1-\alpha)}>0$& $-\beta$$\frac{k\mu-\kb \omega}{k\kb(1\alpha)}<0$& $\frac{2(\mu-\omega)+2\alpha(k-\kb)}{(1-\alpha)^2}>0$& $\frac{b}{2}>0$\\ \bottomrule \end{tabular} \end{table*} \begin{table*}[htbp] \scriptsize % \hspace*{-1cm} % apply this to move the table left, so that the right part of a wide table can be shown. \newcommand{\tabincell}[2]{\begin{tabular}{@{}#1@{}}#2\end{tabular}} \caption{\label{tab:values_profit_b} Values of BCT.} \centering \renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1.3} \begin{tabular}{@{\extracolsep{1pt}}l*{14}{l}@{}} \toprule &{Situation}&{$VSO^B$}&{$VVM^B$}&{$VCS^B$}&{$VSW^B$} \\ \midrule Value & {$\cv < H(\alpha)$ } & $\frac{k\eta ^2-\kb \phi^2}{128k\kb (1-\alpha)^2}-\csb$& $\frac{k\eta ^2-\kb \phi^2+32\alpha k \kb(\eta-\phi)}{256k\kb (1-\alpha)^2}-\cvb$& $\frac{b^2+2b(1+d)}{8}$& $\frac{3k\eta ^2-3\kb \phi^2+32\alpha k \kb(\eta-\phi)}{256k\kb (1-\alpha)^2}+\frac{b^2+2b(1+d)}{8}-\csb-\cvb$\\ &{$\cv \geq H(\alpha)$ }& $\frac{k(\mu-\alpha \kb)[\eta-8(\mu-\alpha \kb)]-\kb (\omega-\alpha k)[\phi-8(\omega-\alpha k)]}{4k\kb(1-\alpha)^2}-\csb$& $0$& $\frac{b^2+2b(1+d)}{8}$& $\frac{k(\mu-\alpha \kb)[\eta-8(\mu-\alpha \kb)]-\kb (\omega-\alpha k)[\phi-8(\omega-\alpha k)]}{4k\kb(1-\alpha)^2}+\frac{b^2+2b(1+d)}{8}-\csb$\\ \bottomrule \end{tabular} \end{table*} \begin{prop} \label{prop:values_decision_b} Given $d$, $\kb$, $k$, $\theta$: $e^{IB}>e^I$, $r^{IB}l^I$, $p^{IB}>p^I$. \end{prop} \refprop{prop:values_decision_b} gives us four claims. Firstly, the optimal effort exerted by VM is higher after applying blockchain technology, which leads to a higher launch success probability directly. That also implies that blockchain technology helps to improve the work efficiency. Secondly, premium rate is going down. This is because the successful launch probability increase which is beneficial for SO. Thirdly, the launch price is higher with the support of BCT, mainly because the probability of successful launch increases, and the SO is willing to pay higher fees Fourthly, as shown the change of $e$, $r$, and $l$ are similar to \ref{eq:values_g}, however, the retail price in model B increases after implementing BCT which is different from \ref{eq:values_g}. It is due to the higher utility that BCT bring to customers, so they are more willing to pay a higher retail price. \begin{prop} \label{prop:values_profit_b} Given $d$, $\kb$, $k$, $\theta$: \begin{enumerate}[(i)] \item If $\csb ~ \big( \begin{smallmatrix} < \\ =\\> \end{smallmatrix} \big)~ \min\{\frac{k\eta ^2-\kb \phi^2}{128k\kb (1-\alpha)^2},\frac{k(\mu-\alpha \kb)[\eta-8(\mu-\alpha \kb)]-\kb (\omega-\alpha k)[\phi-8(\omega-\alpha k)]}{4k\kb(1-\alpha)^2}\}$, then we have: $VSO^B~ \big(\begin{smallmatrix} > \\ =\\< \end{smallmatrix} \big) ~0$; \item When $\cv \end{smallmatrix} \big) ~\frac{k\eta ^2-\kb \phi^2+32\alpha k \kb(\eta-\phi)}{256k\kb (1-\alpha)^2} $ , for $\cv \\ =\\< \end{smallmatrix} \big) ~ 0$; when $\cv \geq H(\alpha)$, $VVM^B \equiv 0$ \item $VCS^B>0$ \end{enumerate} \end{prop} Proposition \ref{prop:values_profit_b} shows three neat findings. Firstly, it gives the threshold of blockchain cost, which indicate that if the cost of implementing blockchain technology is high, then launching through the BCT platform is not profitable for the SO. That is because the loss of paying for blockchain cannot be offset by the benefits of improving the quality of data flow. Actually, there are two thresholds for the SO to decide whether implement BCT in two situations. However, once the cost of BCT is quite low, it is always profitable for the SO to use blockchain. Secondly, it also gives the threshold for VM using blockchain. When $\cv