2009
2009 – Japanese Space Industry Employment – Snapshot
According to the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies, there were ## Japanese space employees in 2007, the most recent year for which data was available. Japanese space employment declined sharply between 1998 and 2003, mirroring workforce reductions that occurred in the United States and Europe linked to the telecommunications industry.
2009 – European Space Industry Employment – Snapshot
By 2008, European space employment reached ## full-time equivalent (FTE) employees, which remains ##% lower than the near-historic high in 2001, when employment totaled approximately ## jobs with ##% annual growth. Space employment fell each year from 2002 to 2005, including a ##% decrease in 2005 when space employment fell to ## FTE employees. Beginning in 2006, growth resumed, with ##% employment growth in 2008.
2009 – European Space Workforce – Snapshot
Revenue growth among the largest European space companies in 2009 suggests that the European space industry will weather the current recession with only marginal impact on employment. For the European space workforce, 2008 was a year of growth as the industry continued to recover from a decline linked to the 2000–2001 downturn which impacted the global satellite communications industry. Leading Europe’s 2008 space employment growth were European spacecraft manufacturers, which also constitute its largest segment in employment terms. Employment among ground systems providers has historically accounted for roughly ##% of Europe’s space workforce.
2009 – U.S. National Security Workforce – Snapshot
Somewhat less transparent than U.S. private sector and civil space employment is the U.S. military space workforce. A number of nations besides the United States are developing military space capabilities, and the scope of military space theory has broadened in response to changing military doctrines, technological advances, and asymmetrical warfare.
2009 – Satellite Orbits – Snapshot
Satellites provide a perspective of the Earth that cannot be matched by ground-based technology. In the early days of the Space Age, satellites served little purpose beyond demonstrating that they were in orbit. Decades of experience and technological advancement have yielded sophisticated craft that perform multiple essential missions for militaries, government agencies, and companies around the world. Modern satellites are specialized vehicles designed typically to serve a single specific mission, such as communications, meteorology, remote sensing, scientific measurements, navigation, or reconnaissance.
2009 – Satellite – Snapshot
Satellites provide a perspective of the Earth that cannot be matched by ground-based technology. In the early days of the Space Age, satellites served little purpose beyond demonstrating that they were in orbit. Decades of experience and technological advancement have yielded sophisticated craft that perform multiple essential missions for militaries, government agencies, and companies around the world.
2009 – Suborbital Payload Launch – Snapshot
There is growing interest in suborbital reusable launch vehicles to conduct experiments and research. Masten Space Systems of Mojave, California, is developing the Extreme Altitude series of unmanned suborbital vehicles to carry experimental payloads. The company is offering to launch payloads at a price of $## per kilogram ($## per pound), or a “Sodasat” payload for $##, so named because its size and mass is similar to that of a can of soda.
2009 – Non U.S. Launch and Payload – Snapshot
The Sea Launch consortium operates a derivative of the Ukrainian Zenit 2 rocket, modified with Russian and American components and used by Sea Launch as its standard booster since the company’s first launch in 1999. The Zenit-3SL rocket launches from Sea Launch’s ocean platform. A variant of this system, the Zenit-3SLB, launches from the Zenit pad at Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
2009 – Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Systems – Snapshot
Note: This exhibit is from The Space Report 2010.
2009 – Japan Launch and Payload – Snapshot
In contrast to countries that fill various space-launch niches with an array of different rocket types, Japan has chosen to focus its rocket development efforts by progressively enhancing and refining older rockets. The H-IIA and H-IIB are the current manifestations of these efforts.