2013
Male vs Female Astronauts, 1961-Sept. 8, 2023
The most significant human spaceflight trend in recent years has been a shift to focus on diversification.
India Department of Space Employment, 2012-2022
India has traditionally maintained a large government workforce relative to its private space workforce. However, in recent years, the Indian government has been working to grow its commercial space sector.
JAXA Workforce, 2013-2023
Japan is continuing its efforts to promote the growth of new entrepreneurial space efforts. Proposed legislation in Japan would allow JAXA to create a fund to invest in private-sector businesses.
Japanese Space Workforce, 2011-2021
Japan saw growth across all three of these sectors in the past year, with the largest growth, 12.8%, in software.
European Space Industry Employment, 2012-2022
Eurospace collects data through an annual survey of nearly 500 space organizations in Europe. Its analysis focuses on manufacturing of space systems, including launchers, spacecraft, and ground segments.
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.
Earth Observation Revenue, 2013-2022
Earth observation satellites circle the globe collecting images and information about the Earth. This information can be valuable for a wide array of applications such as fishing, mining, and weather forecasting. Some companies in this sector sell satellite observations and imagery directly, as individual products or as a more continuous downlink, while others focus on the sale of value-added products and services or big data analyses derived from the satellite data.
Space Insurance Industry Estimates, 2002-2022
Operating in the space sector involves risks. Space launch is complex and launch failures are possible, even for well-established vehicles. New vehicles typically carry even greater risk. Once spacecraft successfully reach orbit, issues may arise due to factors such as space weather, space debris and a crowded orbital environment. To deal with these risks, many companies in the space sector invest in space insurance. As of 2023, there were about 25 direct space insurance companies worldwide.
Global Space Activity by Category, 2007-2027
Based on global economic factors, Space Foundation forecasts that growth will slow slightly in 2023 to 6% before picking up for an average five-year growth of 7%. Under these conditions, the space economy would total $772 billion in 2027. This forecast incorporates existing markets in the space economy and does not predict any future disruptive technologies that could have extraordinary growth over the coming years.