Browse Resources by Year

2015 – Annual Launch Activity – Snapshot

With a total of 86 orbital launch attempts worldwide, 2015 fell slightly short of 2014’s record of 92. A slight dip in launch activity growth trend was observed, with three failures out of 86 launch attempts.

2015 – U.S. Missile Defense – Snapshot

U.S missile defense has its roots in the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), announced in 1983 by U.S. President Ronald Reagan. SDI was initially intended to defend the United States against the launch of thousands of nuclear-tipped Soviet missiles. SDI would have used a combination of advanced space and ground systems to shoot the missiles out of the sky.

2015 – EUMETSAT Space Budget – Snapshot

The European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) had a total budget of €418.1million (US$466.3 million) for 2015, the most recent . . .

2015 – Russian Missile Detection – Snapshot

Near the beginning of 2015, Russia’s Oko early warning missile detection satellite system was non-functional. The country remained without space-based missile detection capability until late 2015, when Russia’s military launched the first satellite of its next-generation early warning satellite constellation, called Tundra.

2015 – U.S. Missile Detection – Snapshot

The USAF continued missile detection operations in 2015 using a combination of legacy Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites, two Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) GEO satellites, and three SBIRS HEO sensor payloads hosted on classified satellites. The growth and evolution of the infrared satellites deployed in various orbits allows the USAF uninterrupted monitoring in the infrared spectrum of activities around the world, 24 hours a day.

2015 – Satellite Overview – Snapshot

Satellites include a wide variety of systems performing an even wider range of missions from their different orbits. In 2015, launch operators attempted to place 262 spacecraft into orbit (including both satellites and other types of payloads), a decrease of 11% from 296 spacecraft in 2014.

2015 – Military Reconnaissance – Snapshot

The inherent security requirements of military operations make it very difficult to pinpoint the exact number and nature of reconnaissance satellites launched by nations. The space-based inventory of a nation’s intelligence collection can run through many different disciplines from imagery intelligence (IMINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), and measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT).

2015 – Surface Imaging – Snapshot

The number of surface imaging satellites launched continued to grow in 2015. The sub-category dominated the greater category of Earth observation and remote sensing satellites launched in 2015, taking a nearly 72% share. The majority of surface imaging satellites literally provide a picture of Earth, and changes upon its surface, at any given time, using electronic and optical imaging payloads.

2015 – Meteorology – Snapshot

Weather and environmental satellites help humans understand and predict the atmospheric conditions of the Earth. National governments traditionally run these constellations, providing data for weather forecasting, climate modeling, and more. Weather agencies also provide data about life-threatening storms to other nations, increasing the ability of those nations to evacuate areas predicted to be hit by the storms. Slightly less than 4% of all spacecraft launched in 2015 had a meteorological or environmental mission.

2015 – PNT Ground Networks – Snapshot

The current U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) ground control segment consists of a variety of ground antennas, monitor stations, and Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) Remote Tracking Stations. The 16 monitoring stations, including those owned by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and 12 command and control antennas, are all operated by the master control station in Colorado, or the alternate master control station in California.