2014
Annual aerospace engineering graduates, 2014-2024


The booming space industry is creating more jobs and attracting more students to fill them. For the first time ever, Georgia Tech’s 2023 freshman class had more aerospace students than electrical or computer engineering students.
Tracked objects in orbit, in thousands, 1957-2024


Data on orbiting objects, called “the catalog” by the Defense Department, includes all 31,620 objects larger than a basketball that orbit Earth at speeds nearing 18,000 mph.10 The goal is to prevent disastrous high-speed collisions that can spread debris like killer confetti.
Cumulative nations to reach space, 1957-2024


The pace of nations reaching space has increased rapidly over the past two decades, but the number of active nations has stayed largely consistent over the past four years.
New nations in space, 1957-2024


SmallSats are allowing more nations to reach space for the first time, but their short lifespan means that there has also been an increase in the number of nations leaving orbit over the past years. By the end of 2024, 92 nations were active in space.
Average spacecraft deployed per launch, 2014-2024


Commercial satellites accounted for just over 87% of payloads in 2024. Civil government and military spacecraft made up the remaining 6.1% and 6.5%, respectively — the first time in five years that military outnumbered civil.
Total spacecraft deployed, 2014-2024


Global spacecraft deployed to orbit in 2024 totaled 2,802, a slight decrease (3%) from 2023. This slowdown comes after a seven-year streak of growing deployments that increased the number of spacecraft brought to orbit by 13 times.
Hours between launch attempts, 2004-2024


The 259 launch attempts in 2024 represented a 16% increase from 2023’s record 223 launches.3 The pace of launch accelerated 5 hours from 2023, with a launch every 34 hours. A decade earlier, the pace of global launch was once every 95 hours.4 The United States dominated the launch cycle in 2024, outpacing China by more than 2-to-1.
Launch attempts by year, 2004-2024


Notable launches of 2024 included long-anticipated flagship rockets. The United Launch Alliance Vulcan, which flew twice in 2024, replaces a long line of older rockets in the U.S. civil and military space sectors.
Humans reaching space, 2000-2024


By Sept. 15, 70 people had flown their first mission to space aboard private sector flights, including 15 since January, according to Space Foundation records. Private-sector astronauts account for nearly 12 percent of all humans to fly to space.
Norway space workforce, 2009-2023


The Norwegian space industry is prioritizing initiatives to strengthen the domestic space workforce pipeline. Andøya Space’s subsidiary, Andøya Space Education, was established in 2000 to provide opportunities for students.