2022
Space Workforce Trends in the United States, Europe, Japan, and India
The United States, Europe, and Japan have all seen net growth in their space workforce over the past decade, with steady increases in Europe, and more varied trends in the United States and Japan.
European Nations Lead with Space Workforce Growth from 2021 to 2022
Trends in the size and composition of the global space workforce provide a lens into the health and trajectory of the industry. While many countries do not collect or release data on their space workforce, several major space actors, including the United States, Europe, Japan, and India, publish this information annually.
Space Employment Speeds Back Up Despite U.S. Labor Market Slowdown
After a slowdown in hiring in the last half of 2022, U.S. space-related employment numbers through July 2023 are showing signs of recovery.
Commercial Human Spaceflight, 2018-2022
Commercial human spaceflight revenues were estimated at $0.5 billion in 2022, which is reflected in this chart on human spaceflight.
Select Launch Vehicles by Thrust
The European Space Agency (ESA), like NASA, is also using high-tech computer models to predict how these much more powerful rockets will behave. Learning on the fly with massive rocket boosters is a costly proposition.
Launches by Nation, 2014-2023
The second half of 2023 began with the launch of the European Space Agency’s Euclid telescope, designed to probe the universe’s dark matter. And several groundbreaking civil space missions remain on tap for the year.
Midyear Launch by Type, 2014-2023
The failures pale in comparison to the successes, with a record 55 commercial launches through the midyear point. The first half of 2023 also set a midyear mark for military launches with 19 worldwide, exceeding the record of 17 set in the first half of 2018. Civil government launches were down slightly, with 23 launches in the first half of 2023, compared to 26 in the first half of 2022.
Midyear Launch Trends, 2014-2023
The first half of 2023 saw 97 launches worldwide, setting a record pace despite delays for major rocket programs that pushed the debuts of two major launch vehicles later into the year and notable failures on launch for SpaceX’s Starship in America and Mitsubishi’s H3 in Japan.
Non-NASA U.S. Civil Space Spending by Agency, 2021-2023
The Department of Defense’s unclassified space spending totaled $17.1 billion in 2022. Space Foundation also estimates total defense space spending, including classified and unclassified budgets for all military branches and intelligence agencies. This estimate reached $42.9 billion last year, a 21% increase year-over-year.
ESA Member Contributions by Type, 2022
Member state contributions comprised 70% of ESA funding last year. France contributed the most, €1.2 billion. Germany came in second with €1 billion, and Italy was third with €680 million. These top three member states were responsible for 42% of the total budget. The Netherlands increased the amount it sent ESA by 13% in 2022 to just shy of €100 million, while Canada slashed its contribution in half.