Browse Resources by Year

Satellites Help Find Treasured Trash

Satellite imagery continues to be used in surprising ways. One startup, Terra Recovery, is using satellite remote sensing technology in tandem with flying drones to find mining opportunities in the United Kingdom and North America.

European Radar Satellite Helps with California Quake

The August 2014 earthquake in Napa Valley, California prompted organizations from very different backgrounds to provide space-sourced data to the affected communities. The European Space Agency (ESA), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and Google all provided information showing the aftermath of the 6.0 magnitude earthquake.

Spying Me, Spying You – Satellite Imagery on a Phone

There was a time when obtaining high-resolution imagery from satellite sources required a security clearance and a secure facility. Today, high-resolution imagery is an accessible, inexpensive, and portable reality due to companies such as Orbit Logic, which released smartphone software application SpyMeSat to the public in late 2013.

Courier Coordination and Tracking

Some online retailers are trying their best to deliver goods within two days of an order. One small, same-day courier service, tiramizoo, is attempting to heighten delivery expectations and beat other delivery services by embracing the benefits of satellite navigation technology and online maps.

Don’t Panic! Handheld Electronic Guide helps Tired Tourists

Satellites, cellphones, and software applications converge to provide a personalized tour guide service for those traveling throughout Europe. Software application creators, such as LatitudeN, are combining a smartphone’s satellite navigation technology with mapping software, imagery, and travel content to provide travelers a personalized tour experience.

Exploring the Edge of Space in a Spacesuit, then Falling Quickly to Earth

People have dreamt of falling from great heights for centuries, but one man, Alan Eustace, fulfilled that terrifying dream in October 2014. His dream: to explore, and then fall from, the edge of space in a spacesuit.

2014 – Annual Launch Activity Overview

Launch vehicles vary in size, configuration, and capability. One primary distinction lies in the capability of a launcher to insert an object in an orbital or suborbital trajectory. Suborbital vehicles…

2014 – Communications Satellites Overview

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 footage of…

2014 – Other Space Employment

Most countries do not publicly release regular reports on the size of their space workforce, making analysis of trends over time difficult or impossible. However, point assessments of the size or activities within these space nations still provide useful insight into the health of the global space workforce.

2014 – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Employment

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has not shared in the workforce growth trend seen in the country as a whole. Instead, JAXA has remained relatively steady in recent years, gaining 6 employees from 2013 to 2014. In the past five years, from 2009 to 2014, employment at JAXA decreased by ##%. JAXA lost ## employees between 2004 and 2014, a decline of ##%.