Economy
Commercial Infrastructure and Support Industries
2013 – Ground Stations and Receivers
The total market for ground stations and equipment was estimated at $## billion in 2013, a ##% increase compared to $## billion in 2012. The term “ground equipment” refers to Earth-based infrastructure and technology used to guide and communicate with satellites, networks of ground control stations, vehicle-mounted and portable satellite terminals such as very small aperture terminals (VSATs), video broadcast distribution stations, and end-user consumer equipment.
2013 – Space Stations
There were ## flights to the ISS in 2013, including ## cargo delivery missions and ## cargo delivery vehicle test mission, and ## crew transportation missions. The number and type of launches to the ISS in 2013 were similar to those in 2012. During 2013, cargo transportation was provided by ## European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), ## Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), ## U.S. Dragon vehicle, ## U.S. Cygnus test mission, and ## Russian Progress vehicles. ## Russian Soyuz spacecraft transported astronauts and cosmonauts to and from the station.
2013 – Satellite Manufacturing
A total of ## satellites were launched (or attempted to be launched) in 2013, a ##% increase from the ## satellites launched in 2012. This includes all payloads launched into space with the exception of technology development payloads and missions to the ISS. This dramatic shift is due primarily to deployment of ## microsatellites—satellites less than 91 kilograms (200 pounds) in mass—in 2013, as compared to the five-year average from 2009 to 2013 of only ## microsatellites per year.
2013 – Launch Industry
In 2013, ## orbital launches were attempted carrying ## payloads, including satellites, interplanetary probes, and flights to the International Space Station (ISS). Of these ## launches, ## successfully placed their primary payloads into orbit. The 2013 total of ## launch attempts is similar to the average rate of ## launch attempts per year from 2009 to 2013. Of the ## orbital launch attempts in 2013, ## were conducted by commercial launch providers and ## by governments
2013 – Commercial Infrastructure and Support Industries Overview
Revenue for commercial space infrastructure and support industries, which include satellite manufacturing, launch services, space stations, ground stations, and associated equipment, totaled $## billion in 2013, an increase of ##% from $## billion in 2012. This total does not include government spending on space infrastructure, which is described separately in Government Space Budgets.
Economy: Space Economy – TSR 2013
2012 – Space Insurance
XL Insurance, an insurance brokerage, reported that space insurance premiums in 2012 totaled approximately $## million, compared to approximately $## million paid out in claims. This is comparable to Aon/ISB’s estimates of approximately $## million collected in premiums and $## million paid out in claims in 2011.
2012 – Commercial Human Spaceflight
The retirement of the Space Shuttle is spurring development of commercial cargo and crew transportation services. NASA’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, started in 2006, has awarded contracts to private companies to develop vehicles that transport cargo and personnel to and from the ISS. Although some companies, such as Boeing and Sierra Nevada, had started vehicle development work on their own, COTS funding has sped up the development process. So far, most COTS funding has been directed toward the development of two rockets and their associated cargo-carrying spacecraft. SpaceX has developed the Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule, while Orbital Sciences is developing the Antares rocket and Cygnus freighter.
2012 – Ground Stations and Receivers
The market for ground stations and equipment was estimated at $## billion in 2012, a ##% increase from $## billion in 2011. The term “ground equipment” refers to Earth-based infrastructure and technology…
2012 – Space Stations
For fiscal year (FY) 2012, NASA allocated $## billion for ISS operations, a slight increase over the $## billion allocated in FY 2011. The ISS was designed for a full-time crew of six and is expected to maintain this staffing level until at least 2020.