Germany
SpaceX launches private space mission Fram2 to polar orbit
In a spaceflight first, four private astronauts were launched to a 90-degree polar orbit atop a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket on March 31. The Fram-2 mission was backed by cryptocurrency entrepreneur Chun Wang, who is flying as the mission commander.
Isar launch fails to reach orbit
What could have been continental Europe’s first orbital launch lost attitude control only seconds after takeoff on March 30. However, the German company still considers it a successful test flight of the two-stage orbital launch vehicle.
Rocket Lab launches wildfire detection satellites
Eight OroraTech satellites launched aboard a Rocket Lab launch vehicle can detect and monitor wildfires from low Earth orbit.
Flock of launch vehicles set for first flight in 2025
With as many as 23 launch vehicles set to make their first flights in 2025, there’s also a renewed focus on sovereign launch capabilities
SNAPSHOT: Launch vehicles set for 2025 first flights
Twenty-four new launch vehicles, many delayed from 2024, are expected to take flight this year.
Government space budgets grow 11% to reach new heights
International government space budgets reached new heights in 2023 with $125 billion spent on space programs, 11% higher than a revised 2022 total of $113 billion.
Astronauts by top nations
The majority of astronauts (95%) have also reached the Kármán line at 100 km — the internationally recognized boundary of space.
SNAPSHOT: Global space economy
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.
SNAPSHOT: Human spaceflight
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.
Astronaut and Mission Count for Top Nations
Public astronauts typically complete multiple missions in space over their careers — 65% have two or more flights compared to only 9% of private space travelers. Retired NASA astronaut Frederick “CJ” Sturckow remains the only person to have visited space eight times.