China
2011 – Trends That Are Shaping Space Activity
The outlook for space activity is largely positive, in spite of the challenges facing many of the governments and agencies most active in space. In many ways, 2011 was a pivotal year as governments re-evaluated their human spaceflight plans and examined their portfolio of space activities in light o… Thank you for visiting The Space…
2011 – Other Space Employment Snapshot
In December 2011, Reuters reported that the Russian space workforce numbered 250,000 professionals, 90% of whom are older than 60 or younger than 30. Demographically, Russia faces a very different situation than the United States, where these two age groups make up less than 20% of the workforce.
Workforce: Workforce and Education – TSR 2011
Space Products and Services – TSR 2011
Infrastructure: Space Infrastructure – TSR 2011
Economy: Space Economy – TSR 2011
2010 – Trends That Are Shaping Space Activity
This Dragon spacecraft orbited the Earth before reentering the atmosphere and landing less than one mile from the center of the landing zone in the Pacific Ocean. This achievement made SpaceX the first commercial company in history to safe… Thank you for visiting The Space Report! The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity, Packed with…
2010 – China Space Stations – Snapshot
China is developing its own space station as the next phase of its human spaceflight program. The first module for this station was completed in 2010, with China planning to launch it in 2011. The module, Tiangong-1 (Chinese for “Heavenly Palace”), is undergoing testing and will be launched on a Chinese Long March 2F rocket.
2010 – Military Reconnaissance – Snapshot
In June 2010, Israel launched the OFEQ-9 reconnaissance satellite which joined ## others already in operation. China’s utilization of space for military purposes is even harder to gauge due to the country’s lack of transparency in its space programs. In 2010, the country launched ## Yaogan satellites with the stated purpose of engaging in scientific experiments, land survey, crop yield assessment, and disaster monitoring. Many space analysts believe that the true mission of these satellites is for reconnaissance or other military purposes.
2010 – China’s Launch Efforts – Snapshot
China began the year with only a few missions publicly disclosed, but a series of unannounced launches in the second half of the year made 2010 China’s busiest year ever in terms of launch activity, exceeding its previous national record of ## launches in 2008. While China had only launched ## rockets by the end of July, it carried out ## launches in the following three months.