2022
U.S. Aerospace Engineers by Age
In addition to the current openings, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the need for aerospace engineers possessing at least a bachelor’s degree to grow by 6% through 2031.
Study Shows Steady Decline in U.S. Students Studying Engineering, Science
U.S. Space firms battling for workers in an increasingly tight employment market could face a bigger fight after five years of declining enrollment for engineering and science majors at American colleges and universities.
U.S. Space Force Enlisted Guardians, 2022
While recruitment has been a challenge across other sections of the military, the Space Force has had more applicants than it could accept. For example, when looking for cyber professionals with private-sector experience, the Space Force received hundreds of applications for six positions.
U.S. Military Space Spending 2005-2022
Gallagher said the military must accelerate its efforts in space and cyberspace to keep pace with Russia and China, improving Pentagon cybersecurity and redesigning Space Force satellites to harden constellations against attack.
U.S. College Enrollment for Engineering, 2017-2022
Across the United States, the pipeline for new engineers and scientists has dropped steadily over the last five years, as the number of college students majoring in those fields shrank by nearly 90,000 from record levels set in 2017.
State of Space 2023
Number of FAA Licensed and Permitted Operations Worldwide by Fiscal Year, 2015-2026
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation and the Office of Spaceports have growing data supporting the rising pace of launches and the current strain on U.S. launch capacity.
U.S. Space Force Officers, 2022
Over the course of 2022, the Space Force continued to grow through the transfer of individuals from other branches of the military. In 2022, 243 transfer slots — 29 officer and 214 enlisted — were available.
Average Satellite Mass per Payload (kg), 2012-2022
For 2022, spacecraft deployed with a mass of 1,000 kg or less numbered an estimated
2,144. Th ere were 65 spacecraft massing more than 1,000 kg deployed during 2022.16 Despite the increase in large spacecraft
deployments in 2022, their share of overall satellite deployments remained under 3%.
Campaign Spending by Aerospace and Defense PACs by Political Party 2012-2022
Political action committees (PACs) representing aerospace industry and defense firms weighted their federal campaign donations narrowly toward Republicans during the 2022 campaign cycle.