2015
2015 – U.S.: ATRR, GSSAP, ANGELS, and SBSS – Snapshot
The majority of known space-based SSA satellites are run by the U.S. Air Force’s 1st Space Operations Squadron (1 SOPS) from Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado.
2015 – Communications Satellites – Snapshot
Constellations of communications satellites have been in use since the 1990s, and several companies are either in the midst of deploying second-generation constellations or completely new ones. Globalstar, Iridium, and Orbcomm were the first three major companies to create this type of constellation.
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.