Capacity crunch may abort U.S. satellite boom as sanctions threaten Russia launches

FILE PHOTO: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches carrying a Qatari communications satellite, which will provide connectivity to Qatar and neighbouring parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, from historic Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., November 15, 2018. REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo

(Reuters) - Houston, we have a problem!

U.S. rocket companies are facing the daunting task of ferrying hundreds of satellites to space in the coming years as sanctions sideline the Russian space launch industry.