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The worldwide space sector employs hundreds of thousands of skilled workers who require high levels of education and competency. To maintain this workforce over time, space employers require a steady supply of trained workers capable of performing tasks in key scientific and engineering disciplines.
Read MoreThe United States continued to operate the world’s most diverse fleet of orbital launch vehicles in 2011. While its total of ## successful launches was not the world’s highest, it led in terms of diversity, with ## different types of orbital rockets launched throughout the year. In addition, 2011 saw progress toward the introduction of a new rocket system, the Antares (known prior to December 2011 as the Taurus II) and the announcement of three new launch systems, the Falcon Heavy, the Space Launch System, and the as-yet unnamed vehicle under development by Stratolaunch Systems.
Read MoreOrbital launch activity increased by ##% in 2011, rising to ## launches from a total of ## in 2010. Continuing a trend that began in 2004, Russia was the nation that conducted the most launches, with a total of ##. China followed with a total of ## launches, conducting ## more ## than the United States.
Read MoreRussia’s ambitious plans to develop a new human-rated rocket system to eventually replace the Soyuz came to an official halt in October when Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, announced its decision to cancel the development of the Rus-M rocket. Originally planned to have its first flight in 2015, the rocket was to launch primarily from the new Russian launch facility of Vostochny in eastern Siberia. Launching from Vostochny would have relieved Russia of the need to rely on its Baikonur spaceport, which is leased to Russia by Kazakhstan and currently provides the only launch facilities for crewed Soyuz rockets.
Read MoreSpace products and services are things used by people on Earth which rely on the data or connections provided by satellites, as well as items that use technology originally developed for use in space activities but which are now applied to non-space applications. There are currently almost 1,000 operational satellites in orbit around the Earth.
Read MoreCivil space activities in the United Kingdom (UK) are primarily funded through the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA), which became operational in April 2011, and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). Space budgets for FY 10/11, which ran from April 2010 through March 2011, had not been published by the UKSA as of January 2012.
Read MoreThe Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), the primary organization responsible for space activities in Spain, received appropriations from Spain’s national budget of €## million (US$##million) in 2011, an increase of 3% over 2010 levels. INTA also receives revenue from its own commercial operations. Spain’s contribution to ESA is not funded through INTA, but through the Center for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI). In 2011, Spain’s ESA contribution was €## million (US$## million), an increase of ##% from the 2010 ESA contribution.
Read MoreThe ISS provides a unique platform for humans where long-term scientific research and experiments can occur. The ISS is a project involving the United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and 11 ESA member states. It is a research facility in LEO that can host a permanent crew of up to six people in its current configuration.
Read MoreThe nonprofit European space industry association Eurospace tracks European space employment through annual surveys of European space-related companies, as well as multinational space companies employing personnel in Europe. In 2010, the Eurospace methodology evolved to include more European companies, reclassify some companies formerly counted in one space industry sector to another, and reflect movement of some European space employees from one country to another. As a result, although European space employment posted growth between 2009 and 2010, some of the increase was due to the expanded number of companies surveyed. Similarly, some of the changes in European space employment by sector or country are attributable to differences between the new accounting and the old.
Read MoreThe ongoing impacts of the economic slowdown and the reductions in NASA’s contractor workforce are not the only issues affecting U.S. space industry employees. The American aerospace workforce is aging. As shown in Exhibit 4k, the ages of both the NASA workforce and the broader aerospace workforce are clustered in the 40- to 60-year age range.
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