2014
U.S. space private industry employment, 2014-2024
Growth in private sector space employment has largely been driven by companies involved in the manufacturing of space vehicles, including space vehicle propulsion units, and space vehicle parts and equipment. All three of these areas experienced growth from 2023 to 2024.
NASA civil servant workforce, 2014-2024
In 2024, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report titled, “NASA at a Crossroads,” that highlighted the importance of maintaining a talented workforce to NASA’s long-term success.
Manufacturing job openings in thousands, 2013-2025
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated 483,000 manufacturing job openings in February, down from a peak demand of nearly 850,000 in 2021, but still well ahead of demand a decade ago.
U.S. space private industry employment and U.S. total employment relative to 2014
Every state, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, is home to at least some private sector space workers. The 10 states with the largest space employment in 2024 include well-known space states.
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.