Economy
Commercial Infrastructure and Support Industries
2008 – Launch Industry – Snapshot
The pace of operations in the launch industry was essentially unchanged in 2008 with ## total orbital launches carrying ## payloads. This compares with ## orbital launches in 2007 carrying ## payloads and continues a steady four-year increase in global space launch count. Each Space Shuttle mission is counted as a single payload. Of the ## launches in 2008, ## carried commercial payloads, ## carried non-commercial payloads.
2008 – Commercial Infrastructure and Support Industries – Snapshot
Revenue in 2008 for commercial space infrastructure, including launch vehicles, satellites, in-space platforms, ground equipment, and infrastructure support industries totaled $## billion. Space infrastructure revenue estimates are shown in the exhibit. Government budgets include funding for infrastructure and are addressed separately in Government Space Budgets.
2008 – Commercial Human Spaceflight – Snapshot
The personal spaceflight market continues to promise a bright future as commercial flights get under way as early as 2010 and demand and sales begin to increase. RocketShip Tours announced that rides aboard the Lynx, a suborbital vehicle being constructed by XCOR Aerospace, would cost $95,000 apiece. XCOR has already booked reservations for about 22 flights, each reservation secured by a deposit of $20,000. Space Adventures accumulated $30 million in revenue during 2008 due to entrepreneur Richard Garriott’s trip to the ISS. Garriott is the son of former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott; they are the first American father and son to have left the Earth’s atmosphere. In 2009, Charles Simonyi, CEO and President of Intentional Software, is to be Space Adventures’ first repeat space explorer. He traveled to the ISS in 2007 and was scheduled for a second visit in March 2009. In addition, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, has secured a future Space Adventures flight with a $5 million down payment.
2007 – Commercial Human Spaceflight
While the personal spaceflight market is still in its early stages, revenue continues to accumulate for individual trips and as deposits for future flights. Charles Simonyi, by his own account, paid $## million for his 2007 flight to the ISS. Alex Tai, chief operating officer of Virgin Galactic, a spaceline offering suborbital flights, reported in late 2007 that the company had collected $## million in deposits for future suborbital trips aboard SpaceShipTwo.
2007 – Space Insurance
Revenue from space insurance premiums is estimated to be lower in 2007 than in 2006. This is partially due to the loss of the NSS-8 satellite from the January explosion of Sea Launch’s Zenit-3SL. Several insured launches were postponed as a result. Pagnanelli Risk Solutions, an insurance consultancy, estimates total premiums of between $## and $## million.
2007 – Ground Stations and Receivers
Ground equipment was the largest growth sector of space infrastructure in 2007, increasing ##% over 2006. Revenue from ground equipment related to space operations is estimated at $## billion in 2007. This value is a projection based on the last five years of SIA ground equipment revenues.
2007 – Space Stations
Funding for the largest in-space platform, the International Space Station (ISS), is included under the government budgets of ISS partners. NASA, the largest contributor to the ISS, budgeted $## billion for the ISS in 2007, but actual expenditures were not available due to delays in the congressional budget process.[
2007 – Satellite Manufacturing
Satellite manufacturing revenue increased ##% overall to an estimated $## billion. This growth was driven by a ##% growth in revenue for government payloads to $## billion. Despite the overall growth, revenue for commercial manufacturing actually fell ##% to $## billion. These numbers represent revenues from satellite payloads in the year they were launched, not necessarily when satellite manufacturers received revenue. The year 2007 saw the launch of ## satellites, ## of which were commercial.
2007 – Launch Industry
Commercial launch industry revenue exhibited modest growth in 2007, increasing #% over 2006. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reports that the commercial launch vehicle industry generated $## billion in revenue in 2007, from ## launches, carrying ## payloads. Exhibit 1f shows commercial launch market share. Russia continues to launch the largest share of commercial payloads, slightly more than the U.S. and Europe combined.
2007 – Commercial Infrastructure and Support Industries Overview
Revenue in 2007 for space infrastructure, including launch vehicles, satellites, ground stations, in-space platforms, and infrastructure support industries totaled $## billion, an increase of ##% over 2006. Ground stations and equipment saw the greatest growth at approximately ##%. Space infrastructure revenue estimates are shown in Exhibit 1e. Government budgets include funding for infrastructure, but government expenditures are addressed separately in U.S. Government Space Budgets.