Browse Resources by Year

2011 – Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Space Activities

GEO satellites provide a wide fixed coverage area, making them ideal for sending one signal to a large number of stationary antennas. There were ## fixed satellite services (FSS) satellites in orbit during 2011, providing DTH video, satellite radio, broadband internet, broadcast video distribution, and corporate network connectivity. The dominant providers of international FSS are Intelsat (## satellites), SES (##), Eutelsat (##), and Telesat (##).

2011 – Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Services Snapshot

Products and services that use satellite geolocation and navigation systems comprise one of the largest and fastest-growing markets in the space industry. Estimated global revenue for this market, as projected by the European GNSS Agency (GSA) in an October 2010 report, was $## billion in 2011, compared to $## billion in 2010.

2011 – Russian Government Space Budget Snapshot

In calendar year 2011, the estimated planned budget for Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, was ## billion rubles (US$## billion). This is an increase of ##% from the previous year’s budget of ## billion rubles (US$## billion) and represents approximately ##% of Russia’s ## trillion ruble (US$## billion) planned 2011 federal spending. Roscosmos officials said they expect a budget of ## billion rubles (US$## billion) in 2012, and that funding may increase to as much as ## billion rubles (US$## billion) by 2015.

2011 – Brazilian Spaceports – Snapshot

After several years of low activity, Brazil pledged in late 2011 to more than double its space budget for the years 2012-2015 with the aim of revitalizing the facilities at its Alcântara spaceport located on the northern coast of the country. Following a launch pad explosion in 2003 that killed 21 people, relatively little progress has been made at Alcântara, and no orbital launch attempts have been made.

2011 – Indian Spaceports Snapshot

The Satish Dhawan Space Centre, located on the east coast of India, is expanding to provide greater flexibility and permit a higher launch rate while supporting the launch of India’s upcoming GSLV Mk. III heavy-lift vehicle. ISRO completed an upgrade to the center in 2005, adding a second launch pad capable of processing and launching any of India’s orbital vehicles. The latest expansion will add a third launch pad to the complex, enabling India to launch more often and with fewer scheduling restrictions.

2011 – Earth Observation Snapshot

Earth observation revenue in 2011 is estimated to total $## billion, #% more than the $## billion generated in 2010. Revenues within the Earth observation sector are generated by data sales and value-added services.

2011 – Russian Spaceports Snapshot

After several years of delays and false starts, Russia began construction of the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East in January 2011. During the year, workers completed geological surveys of the site and approved overall site plans. Workers’ housing and other preliminary facilities were completed and improvements have been made in the road and rail network connecting them with the site.

2011 – U.S. Spaceports Snapshot

The Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, is the only spaceport in the United States that currently supports orbital human spaceflight, and it has been dramatically affected by the end of the Space Shuttle Program. As the home of the shuttle, KSC has seen its workforce decrease significantly as the program ended. More than ## workers at KSC lost their jobs over the past two years.

2011 – Demographics – Snapshot

Both the government and industry space sectors in the United States show a high demand for STEM-educated professionals. As of December 2011, ## of NASA’s ## employees—##% of its civil servant workforce—worked in STEM-related fields, mainly as professionals working in engineering, mathematics, biological and physical sciences, or medicine.

2011 – Spaceports Overview Snapshot

Spaceport infrastructure in the United States is in transition as NASA makes changes at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to accommodate new launch systems in the post-shuttle era. Construction continued on new and upgraded facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia, and Spaceport America in New Mexico. China and Russia also continued development of new spaceports during 2011.