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Nation in Review: Bahrain

In 2018, Bahraini space officials signed a Declaration of Principles with the UAE Space Agency (UAESA) and the UAE’s Khalifa University

The kingdom of Bahrain is the smallest country in the Middle East, measuring only 294 square miles with a population of 1.7 million people. The small nation is an ambitious emerging playerin the space sector.

Latest Employment Data Hints at Space Workforce Hiring Slowdown

Astrobotic employees run the software for a CubeRover ground test in NASA’s lunar regolith pit at the Granular Mechanics and Regolith Operations Laboratory on June 30, 2022. Software developers are one of the most sought-after occupations in the space industry, and the field has a strong employment outlook over the next decade.

Space-related employment has been growing steadily over the past two years, but the declining financial market could finally be slowing the industry’s growth. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) employment data and space job boards both hint at reduced hiring over the past few months. However, the latest BLS employment outlook shows that many space jobs have a higher-than-average growth projected over the next decade.

Budget Gridlock Delays Spending on New U.S. Space Programs

Among programs that could face budget-driven delays are NASA’s proposed robotic rovers to explore for lunar water.

Congressional gridlock delayed a 2023 spending plan for U.S. government space programs, which have made up about 12 percent of the global space economy in recent years. The delay stalled budget increases for NASA and the Pentagon topping $6 billion, but a stopgap measure keeps agencies operating at 2022 spending levels.

New Spacesuit Design Promises to Fit Diverse Generation of Future Astronauts

NASA’s newest spacesuits, under a contract announced in September, will be rented by the agency much like tuxedos for a wedding or high-school prom night. Unlike suits in use since the Space Shuttle program, they’re designed to fit astronauts of any size, taking the agency back to the early days when all those headed to space got a custom suit.

Handheld Bioprinter Could Be a New Tool in an Astronaut’s First Aid Kit

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer learns how to use the Bioprint First Aid device during preflight training for his November 2021 launch to the ISS to complete his Cosmic Kiss mission.

Astronaut safety in space is always a top priority, especially as deep-space missions become a reality and the risk of medical emergencies increases. Alongside traditional 3D printing applications, bioprinting has the potential to support astronauts for medical issues ranging from small abrasions to lifesaving organ transplants.

8 Stories from the Front Lines of the New Space Workforce

Before any astronaut selfie is taken in space, legions of other space workers ensure mission success.

Getting to space and keeping the space industry moving ahead takes a diverse group of people with a wide range of talents, including many who didn’t picture themselves as part of the race to the stars just a few years ago. Here are few of them.

Space Force: Thousands Apply, Few Accepted as New Branch Builds Pipeline of Future Space Workers

Space Force recruits are sworn in during a January ceremony at Arizona’s Pima Air and Space Museum.

While the space industry struggles with a tight employment market, the Space Force, a key military pipeline for building the future civilian space workforce, is deluged with youthful applicants. Only 3% of would-be recruits will make the cut.

Europe Continues to Lead in Global Workforce Job Growth

Workers at Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana hoist the upper composite flight models for the Ariane 6 program. France remains the largest European space employer.

The space industry relies on skilled individuals from a wide variety of fields to enable the cutting-edge developments taking place in this sector. While many countries do not regularly produce metrics on the size of their workforce, these data are available for several major space actors, including the United States, Europe, Japan, and India.

Space Matters: U.S. Budget Delays Put New Space Programs on Hold

U.S. federal budget delays are continuing to put new space programs on hold as Congress works to agree on spending for FY2023.

The latest episode of Space Matters brings together former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine, BryceTech founder and CEO Carissa Christensen, Constellation Advisory founder Patricia Cooper, and former U.S. congressman Bob Walker to discuss U.S. budget delays and the space launch industry.

Earth Observation Satellites Contribute to Hurricane Ian Tracking Effort

As Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida on Sept. 28, 2022, people around the world were viewing images and videos of the destruction the storm was causing. But arguably the people with the best view of the storm were the astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) who could see the entire system outside their window.

Alongside astronauts, Earth observation (EO) satellites have been watching the storm develop, relaying data to operators like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who can then share predictions with the public.