The establishment of fully commercial satellite remote-sensing data services does not look promising with the present very costly satellite programmes attempting to provide data to a very wide range of disparate users. An alternative approach using low rate reception stations and limited capability satellites, individually targeted at a specific and limited range of customers, is technically viable at significantly lower development and implementation costs. The much smaller investment needed, with returns from user systems as well as from data sales, would make the prospect much more attractive to private investment.