China
2009 – Orbital Launch Reports and Forecasts – Snapshot
In 2009, a total of ## orbital launches took place from ## spaceports around the world. These launches carried ## payloads for militaries, civil government organizations, commercial entities, and universities into Earth orbit and destinations beyond.
2009 – Launch Industry – Snapshot
In 2009, ## orbital launches were conducted, carrying ## payloads into space, including cargo, satellites, and other types of spacecraft. This marked a notable increase from the 2008 total of ## launches carrying 106 payloads, and continued a five-year trend of annual increases in launch activity. The 2005 total of ## launches and ## payloads began a period of #% average annual increase in launches. Of the ## launches in 2009, ## were conducted by commercial launch providers and ## were non-commercial.
2009 – Disaster Charter – Snapshot
Remote sensing satellites provide data to assess the scope and impact of disasters that have occurred. The information also enables planning for the mitigation of events that may occur. The International Charter on Space and Major Disasters provides a means for relief agencies to request satellite imagery of an area affected by a disaster.
2009 – Russian Government Space Budget – Snapshot
Russian space spending increased dramatically in 2009. The planned budget for Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, was more than ## billion rubles (US$## billion). This amount constitutes an increase of ##% from the previous year’s budget of ## billion rubles and represents approximately ##% of Russia’s ## trillion ruble (US$## billion) planned 2009 federal expenditures. This increase signifies both a positive view of the Russian space program within the Russian government and increased Russian government revenue due to oil markets.
2009 – Ground Networks – Snapshot
Ground stations are an essential but often overlooked segment of space infrastructure. Ground stations connect satellites to terrestrial networks and collect satellite information ranging from tracking and telemetry to imagery and scientific data. The stations also upload information to spacecraft, including command and control data, software upgrades, and other mission-critical instructions. Employees at some ground stations process, analyze, and distribute satellite-based data, products, and services.
2009 – PISA Test Snapshot
An examination of PISA test scores among 14 countries active in space offers a more focused view of relative math and science literacy, which has implications for the numbers of STEM graduates each country produces and in turn the supply of STEM-skilled workers available for space-related professions. Exhibit 4bb shows national PISA test scores from 2009 for major space countries in mathematics and science.
2009 – Chinese Government Space Budget – Snapshot
The Chinese civil space budget is not published, and estimates of spending vary widely. In 2005, the vice administrator of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) stated that the Chinese space budget was US$## million. However, many analysts contend that annual Chinese civil space spending is in fact considerably higher, reaching as much as US$## billion. China has demonstrated dramatic space progress in the past decade, which likely can be linked to growing space expenditures through the CNSA.
2008 – TIMSS
To gauge how U.S. elementary and middle school students compare with other students in math and science, the results of a test administered by the U.S. Department of Education, known as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) provide a standardized global measure. The most recent test was administered in 2007.
2008 – Top-level Trends
“Many young people today with a technical bent are more entranced with the Internet or biotechnology than space exploration. Space travel, after all, was a fascination of their parents’ generation,” noted a February 2003 Wall Street Journal article on recruiting challenges confronting NASA.
2008 – Workforce
Investment in space creates measurable benefits that flow across a wide spectrum of economic activity. The greatest investment that the space industry can make is in its people. The global space economy creates high-paying jobs and also stimulates demand for products and services in industries not directly linked to space.