Browse Resources by Year

2011 – Italian Government Space Budget – Snapshot

The Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), Italy’s space agency, managed a planned budget of €## million (US$## million) in 2011, excluding contributions made to ESA.This represents a ##% increase from ASI-only planned spending of €## million (US$## million) in 2010. Italy’s contribution to ESA totaled €## million (US$## million) in 2011, an increase of ##% from 2010.

2011 – Communications Satellites Snapshot

2011 – Communications satellites have been a crucial part of the global telecommunications infrastructure for decades. They bridge the oceans and connect continents with international telephone calls, bring live video…

2011 – NASA Geographical Distribution Snapshot

As of July 2011, the number of employees associated with the shuttle program nationwide had dropped to approximately ## contractors and ## civil servants for a total of ## employees, compared to a high of ## during the 1990s. NASA workforce planners estimate that the number of shuttle contractors will be reduced to ## by the close of FY 2012, and from there to ## contractors during FY 2013.

2011 – The Development of a Space Spinoff Product Snapshot

Space products and services are an integral part of many activities and sectors throughout the global economy. Exhibit 1b shows seven major categories in which space products and services make a strong contribution. Within these categories, space products and services include items that rely on space assets to work.

2011 – NASA Workforce – Snapshot

In 2011, NASA’s Space Shuttle Program came to an end. The shuttle program had been a major source of employment for the U.S. aerospace workforce. Anticipating the retirement of the shuttle, NASA developed strategies and policies for the transition of the government and contractor workforce, expecting that when the shuttle program concluded, many of the associated professionals would transition to the Constellation Program. However, funding for the Constellation Program was cancelled under the U.S. fiscal year (FY) 2011 federal budget.

2011 – U.S. National Security Workforce – Snapshot

The BLS data characterizing the American space workforce does not include U.S. military space personnel, who constitute a dedicated “space cadre” maintained by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Implemented by the U.S. National Security Space Office (NSSO) in 2001 to address a perceived gap in national military space readiness, the DoD space cadre is designed to be a force of highly competent professionals skilled in the operational and tactical demands of the space medium, including the technical requirements of space vehicles, ground systems, and space systems.

2011 – U.S. Space Industry Salaries Snapshot

Space salaries have increased even as U.S. space employment has declined. In 2010, the combined average salary across the six core U.S. space industry sectors was $##. This was more than double the average 2010 U.S. private-sector salary of $##, reflecting the tendency of space jobs to require high levels of technical education and training that can generate high-value products and services.

2011 – Satellite Orbits – Snapshot

The closer proximity to the Earth also greatly reduces signal delay from a LEO satellite to ground stations and allows for smaller receivers on the ground. While minimizing signal delay is not vital for DTH services or corporate networks, it makes the orbit ideal for voice traffic being sent directly to handheld devices. These lower orbits are challenging since the satellites constantly move in and out of view of individual ground receivers. If it is necessary to maintain a continuous link despite the movement of the satellites, a fleet of spacecraft is required to form a constellation.

2011 – Satellite Overview – Snapshot

Telecommunications technology has made the world a much more intimate place. This is in no small part due to satellites circling the globe providing communications, scientific research, broadcasting, navigation, imagery, and support for national defense efforts. The first satellite, Sputnik, was launched by the Soviet Union in 1957 and served to demonstrate that man-made objects can reach and maintain a simple orbit. This small craft with limited instrumentation did little more than measure the density of the upper atmosphere and provide information on how radio waves propagate through the ionosphere.

2011 – Solar Orbital Systems

Researchers are deploying ever more sophisticated instruments to provide insight into the behavior of the Sun, which supplies our planet with the basic energy needed for life. In October 2011, ESA selected the Solar Orbiter as one of its two medium-class missions.