Browse Resources by Year

2010 – Landers, Rovers – Snapshot

While ground-based telescopes and orbiting spacecraft can provide many kinds of new information, different insights are possible when physically present on other bodies in the Solar System. A number of spacecraft have touched down and explored the surface of other worlds, from the human Apollo landings more than 40 years ago to the robotic Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity.

2010 – Russian Government Space Budget – Snapshot

In calendar year 2010, the estimated planned budget for Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, was more than ## billion rubles (US$## billion). This amount constitutes an increase of ##% from the previous year’s budget of ## billion rubles and represents approximately ##% of Russia’s ## trillion ruble (US$## billion) planned 2010 federal expenditure. Russian space-related spending in 2010 continued a program of infrastructure investments begun under the large funding increase received during 2009. Areas of priority include the new Angara family of rockets, reaching full operational status of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), constructing a new space launch center in the Russian Far East, and continuing to support the ISS. Russia has announced plans to spend ## billion rubles (US$## billion) in 2011 on national space activities.

2010 – Japanese Government Space Budget – Snapshot

In FY 2010, Japan’s national budget allocated ¥## billion (US$## billion) for space programs across the government, a decrease of ##% from the previous year’s total of ¥## billion. This represents approximately ##% of the country’s ¥## trillion (US$## trillion) national budget. Japanese space spending is allocated among several government ministries, coordinated through the Strategic Headquarters for Space Policy. In FY 2010 the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), funded through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, was operated with a budget of ¥## billion (US$## billion), representing approximately ##% of Japan’s space spending.

2010 – Israeli Government Space Budget – Snapshot

Civil space expenditures in Israel are small, estimated at ## million New Israeli Shekels (US$## million) in 2010. The majority of Israel’s space spending is for military purposes, amounting to ## million New Israeli Shekels (US$## million) annually. This accounts for roughly ##% of the country’s 2010 national budget of ## billion New Israeli Shekels (US$## billion).

2010 – Meteorology – Snapshot

Concerns about global climate change have led to the use of remote sensing satellites to measure the potential impact of humans on the environment. NASA employs more than a dozen Earth science spacecraft measuring a variety of environmental factors, including sea level, the amount of aerosols in the atmosphere, and changes in the size of the Earth’s ice sheets. The United States and Taiwan have partnered to develop the six-satellite FORMOSAT fleet, used to collect atmospheric data for weather prediction and for ionosphere, climate, and gravity research.

2010 – Land Imaging (GIS) – Snapshot

Two major U.S. commercial providers of satellite-based Earth imagery are DigitalGlobe and GeoEye. Both companies provide imagery for widely used applications such as Google Earth. In August 2010, the companies were awarded separate 10-year, $## billion contracts from the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency under that agency’s EnhancedView procurement. These contracts make it possible for both companies to finish procurement and launch of new advanced satellites capable of discerning objects on the Earth’s surface as small as 25 centimeters (9.75 inches) in size.

2010 – Indian Government Space Budget – Snapshot

For FY 2010, the combined budgets of India’s Department of Space (DOS)—which includes funding for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)—and the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ Satellite Services program was ## billion rupees ($## billion), an increase of ##% from the reported figure in the previous fiscal year.

2010 – United Kingdom Government Space Budget – Snapshot

The British government established the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA) in 2010. However, the organization was not fully operational during 2010 and responsibility and funding for space activities remained distributed through several agencies. In FY 09/10, which ran from April 2009 through March 2010, estimated space spending in the UK totaled £## million (US$## million), excluding the country’s ESA contribution.

2010 – Spanish Government Space Budget – Snapshot

The Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), the primary organization responsible for space activities in Spain, oversaw a budget of €## million (US$## million) in 2010. This budget included €## million (US$## million) in appropriations from Spain’s national budget and €## million (US$## million) in expected revenue from other sources, including INTA’s own commercial operations. The 2010 INTA appropriation in the Spanish national budget decreased by ##% from 2009. Spain’s contribution to ESA is not funded through INTA, but through the Center for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI).

2010 – In-Space Activities – Snapshot

In-space activities include research and development services, manufacturing, satellite refueling, and orbital debris clean-up. NASA’s Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research Program (CRuSR) is helping fund development of vehicles capable of carrying payloads on brief trips into space.