Browse Resources by Year

2007 – Spaceports Overview

The availability of U.S. launch sites continued to expand in 2006 and 2007 with the addition of several non-federally funded spaceports. Internationally, there are numerous launch sites both planned and in operation around the world. Exhibit 3n lists current major international launch sites as compiled by the Teal Group and Astronautix.

2007 – Perspective

Space has been transformed from an entirely government dominated research and development (R&D) program to an industry whose revenues from commercial goods and services are more than one-half of its business, as is illustrated in Exhibit 5d.

2007 – Commercial Human Spaceflight

While the personal spaceflight market is still in its early stages, revenue continues to accumulate for individual trips and as deposits for future flights. Charles Simonyi, by his own account, paid $## million for his 2007 flight to the ISS. Alex Tai, chief operating officer of Virgin Galactic, a spaceline offering suborbital flights, reported in late 2007 that the company had collected $## million in deposits for future suborbital trips aboard SpaceShipTwo.

2007 – Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Services

Sales of GPS equipment and chipsets grew ##% in 2007, reaching an estimated $## billion in revenue. Of the estimated $## billion in economic activity in the global space economy, GPS equipment sales account for ##%. ABI Research estimates the total GPS equipment market to be $## billion in 2007. However, this includes $## billion in revenue from mobile phones that incorporate a GPS chipset. These are not included in the totals for global space activity because GPS capabilities are secondary applications of these devices.

2007 – Earth Observation

BCC Research, a market analysis firm, reports that revenue for all remote sensing products exceeded $# billion in 2006. In a separate study, the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) estimates that the space component of the total remote sensing market is nearly ##%.

2007 – Satellite Television

DTH television had a strong growth year, with total global revenue of $## billion and a total of ## million subscribers, as estimated by In-Stat, a digital communications market research firm. This represented an ##% increase over 2006 estimated revenue. The exhibit Satellite Direct-to-Home Television Revenue compares 2006 and 2007 revenue for DIRECTV and DISH Network Corporation, two major North American providers.

2007 – Satellite Radio

Total 2007 revenue for digital audio radio services (DARS) or satellite radio is approximately $## billion, a ##% increase over 2006. This number is the sum of XM Satellite Radio ($## billion), SIRIUS Satellite Radio ($## million), and WorldSpace Satellite Radio ($## million).

2007 – Satellite Communications

Communications satellite services are comprised of fixed satellite services, mobile satellite services, satellite radio, television services, and data communications. DTH television is the largest segment of communications satellite services with ##% of total communications satellite revenue.

2007 – Commercial Space Products and Services Overview

Total revenue for space products and services in 2007 is estimated at nearly $## billion, a growth of ##% over 2006. Commercial satellite services are the largest segment of the space industry, comprising ##% of global space activities.

2007 – RDT&E and IR&D funding

Total independent research and development (IR&D) expenditures are estimated at $## million for 2006, the latest year data was available from the Defense Contract Audit Agency. IR&D expenditures are private enterprise research and development costs incurred while working on government contracts but not reimbursed by the government. These expenditures are estimated by calculating the ratio of space R&D to total R&D within the Defense Department.