United States
2007 – Ground Networks
Ground station infrastructure is a key component of space systems providing command control, tracking, and telemetry services for launch vehicles, satellites, and other platforms. Worldwide tracking systems operated by government agencies support launch command and control. In addition, space situational awareness systems like the U.S. Space Surveillance Network track space debris and assist with collision avoidance.
2007 – U.S. Spaceports
Oklahoma Spaceport received an FAA license for suborbital flights in June 2006. Blue Origin, founded by Amazon.com’s Jeff Bezos, received an experimental permit in 2006 for its West Texas launch site. The first test flight from Blue Origin’s facility was conducted on November 13 of the same year.
2007 – Commercial Human Spaceflight
While the personal spaceflight market is still in its early stages, revenue continues to accumulate for individual trips and as deposits for future flights. Charles Simonyi, by his own account, paid $## million for his 2007 flight to the ISS. Alex Tai, chief operating officer of Virgin Galactic, a spaceline offering suborbital flights, reported in late 2007 that the company had collected $## million in deposits for future suborbital trips aboard SpaceShipTwo.
2007 – Earth Observation
BCC Research, a market analysis firm, reports that revenue for all remote sensing products exceeded $# billion in 2006. In a separate study, the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) estimates that the space component of the total remote sensing market is nearly ##%.
2007 – Satellite Television
DTH television had a strong growth year, with total global revenue of $## billion and a total of ## million subscribers, as estimated by In-Stat, a digital communications market research firm. This represented an ##% increase over 2006 estimated revenue. The exhibit Satellite Direct-to-Home Television Revenue compares 2006 and 2007 revenue for DIRECTV and DISH Network Corporation, two major North American providers.
2007 – Satellite Radio
Total 2007 revenue for digital audio radio services (DARS) or satellite radio is approximately $## billion, a ##% increase over 2006. This number is the sum of XM Satellite Radio ($## billion), SIRIUS Satellite Radio ($## million), and WorldSpace Satellite Radio ($## million).
2007 – RDT&E and IR&D funding
Total independent research and development (IR&D) expenditures are estimated at $## million for 2006, the latest year data was available from the Defense Contract Audit Agency. IR&D expenditures are private enterprise research and development costs incurred while working on government contracts but not reimbursed by the government. These expenditures are estimated by calculating the ratio of space R&D to total R&D within the Defense Department.
2007 – Space Insurance
Revenue from space insurance premiums is estimated to be lower in 2007 than in 2006. This is partially due to the loss of the NSS-8 satellite from the January explosion of Sea Launch’s Zenit-3SL. Several insured launches were postponed as a result. Pagnanelli Risk Solutions, an insurance consultancy, estimates total premiums of between $## and $## million.
2007 – Space Stations
Funding for the largest in-space platform, the International Space Station (ISS), is included under the government budgets of ISS partners. NASA, the largest contributor to the ISS, budgeted $## billion for the ISS in 2007, but actual expenditures were not available due to delays in the congressional budget process.[
2007 – Satellite Manufacturing
Satellite manufacturing revenue increased ##% overall to an estimated $## billion. This growth was driven by a ##% growth in revenue for government payloads to $## billion. Despite the overall growth, revenue for commercial manufacturing actually fell ##% to $## billion. These numbers represent revenues from satellite payloads in the year they were launched, not necessarily when satellite manufacturers received revenue. The year 2007 saw the launch of ## satellites, ## of which were commercial.