2024
SpaceX reaches 50 launches at its fastest pace in three years
The 50th SpaceX Falcon 9 mission of the year launched successfully May 14 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The launch makes 2024 the third consecutive year the space company has achieved at least 50 annual launches.
Rocket Lab launches NASA solar sail test, South Korean observation satellite
Rocket Lab launched two satellites on April 24. One is an Earth observation satellites for a Korea university and the other is a solar sail technology demonstration.
Astronauts by top nations
The majority of astronauts (95%) have also reached the Kármán line at 100 km — the internationally recognized boundary of space.
Global space activity by category, 2007-2027
The global space economy totaled $546 billion in 2022, 8% higher than 2021 — and it could reach $772 billion by 2027, according to Space Foundation analysis. Commercial space continues to make up the majority (78%) of this total, but preliminary data shows that 81% of governments with space programs increased spending in 2023.
Astronauts by private sector
As of mid-March, 685 astronauts have reached at least 80 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. This total includes 86 private astronauts, 22 times as many as there were two decades ago.
2020s is the busiest decade for Moon landings in 50 years
In the span of six months from 2023 to 2024, three countries landed spacecraft on the Moon, and many more are in the works.
Budget proposals deny increases to NASA, Space Force
Federal space budgets would shrink in 2025 under a March proposal issued by President Joe Biden. The budget, which comes after several years of spending increases on space programs, has been tied to NASA layoffs and program delays.
January, February launches 2022-2024
The first two months of 2024 saw an incredible pace of launches. The record set in 2023 could topple if two players alone make their goals.
Dueling technologies would harness atoms for faster spaceflight
After decades of dormancy, the concept of spacecraft nuclear propulsion has returned to prominence. Projects from NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in partnership with the Department of Energy are looking to test the technology in space as soon as 2027.
Space-based research brings billions in value to medicine
Every year, NASA turns $10 billion in research and development funding into roughly 1,000 technology reports and 100 new patents.