Japan
Military launches by nation, 2023
During the first half of 2024, China and the United States each launched five military missions to orbit. The Ukraine war, in its third year, continued to demonstrate the utility of satellites for intelligence, targeting and communication.
The S-Network Space Index℠ 2024 H1 Performance
The S-Network Space Index℠ tracks a global portfolio of publicly traded companies that are active in space-related businesses.
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.
Q2 2024 Highlights
The space industry is advancing faster than ever before with continual progress in the government, military and private sectors. Here are noteworthy business highlights from this quarter.
2024 launch pace easily exceeds 2023’s record midyear mark
Global launches through June 30 were up nearly 30% from 2023, easily eclipsing last year’s record 97 first half launches with 126. Launch failures also fell in the first half of 2024 despite the higher launch activity. The pace is expected to accelerate through the second half of 2024, with key launch vehicles set for first flights.
Japan completes world’s first wooden satellite
A Japanese university and lumber company are working together to send the first wooden satellite to the International Space station later this year.
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.
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.
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.