2016


2016 – Workforce

The global space industry employs hundreds of thousands of individuals in well-paid cutting-edge technology jobs, and it relies on a pool of highly qualified workers to fill new jobs as they arise. Trends among this workforce, including . . .

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2016 – Travel, Lifestyle, and Entertainment

Space products and services directly help individuals with travel and entertainment. Personal spaceflight, while still evolving, continues to garner media attention as space vehicle manufacturers test hardware and announce new services. Technologies developed for use in space are also finding application in a range of entertainment markets, including professional swimming.

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2016 – U.S. Missile Defense – Snapshot

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), headquartered in the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, conducts acquisition and testing of systems to defend the United States against incoming missiles. This mission was formally enshrined in the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) announced in 1983.

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2016 – Military Reconnaissance – Snapshot

Earth observation used to be the domain of a nation’s civil agencies and military. In 2016, ## spacecraft were launched or deployed in the Earth’s orbit. More than ##, ##, of those spacecraft were launched with an Earth observation mission. Some commercial Earth observation satellites even carry infrared sensor payloads, which at one time were only found aboard the military’s…

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2016 – Meteorology – Snapshot

For all of the importance placed on meteorological satellites, they made up a very small part of the ## Earth observation/remote sensing satellites placed in Earth’s orbit during 2016. With a total of ## satellites, ## meteorological-focused satellites were launched or deployed in 2016 than in 2015, during which ## of the satellites with this core mission were deployed. The…

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2016 – Surface Imaging – Snapshot

The majority of Earth observation satellites launched in 2016 were ##. Only ## of the ## Earth observation satellites had a launch mass of ### kilograms (### pounds) or more. The number of Earth observation satellites with a mass between ## and ## kilograms (##–## pounds) launched in 2016 was ##. Together, the Earth…

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2016 – U.S. Spaceports – Snapshot

Three spaceports conducted orbital launch operations from the United States in 2016: Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS). CCAFS conducted 82% of the nation’s orbital launch attempts, while VAFB was responsible for… Thank you for visiting The Space Report! The Authoritative Guide to Global…

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