2023
Second Starship Test Flies Higher Before Failure
With 33 Raptor engines belching flame, SpaceX’s Starship demonstrated the full power of its main booster, reaching an altitude of 91 miles before the second uncrewed attempt to launch the massive rocket from Boca Chica, Texas, ended when the second stage apparently failed.
New Lockheed Martin Orders Spur Race for Nuclear Propulsion in Space
The Defense Department is taking a closer look at powering spacecraft with next-generation nuclear reactors with a pair of programs announced in recent months that test rival methods to unlock the potential fission-powered spaceflight.
ESA’s Euclid Telescope Reveals First Images of the Stars
The European Space Agency released an initial batch of full-color images from its Euclid space telescope, showing the capability of the spacecraft’s 600-megapixel camera, which will be used on Euclid’s planned six-year mission to measure the accelerating expansion of the universe.
Senate Approves Bill to Limit Space Debris Amid Budget Battles
A measure aimed at reducing space debris has passed the U.S. Senate with unanimous support and is headed to the House floor. The Orbits Act would require NASA to establish a pilot program for clearing debris from orbit, and orders tighter regulations to limit space junk.
Artemis Program vs Total India Space Budget, 2021-2023
In 2014, four space startups existed in India. In less than a decade, that number increased to 142, according to Goswami.
NASA Share of U.S. Federal Budget, 1959-2023
Planned Scottish Space Workforce, 2023-2030
Scotland increasingly sees its future in orbit, with the Scottish Parliament planning to more than double its space workforce to 20,000 workers by 2030.
Engineering Trades Enrollment at Two-Year Schools 2019-2023
At two-year post-secondary schools, the number of students studying manufacturing and technical trades hasn’t bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, with engineering fields taking the biggest hit.
Students at Two Year Schools 2019-2023
Low unemployment in the United States and an uptick in domestic manufacturing across sectors have driven up demand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills across the U.S. industrial base.
Denver Manufacturing Workforce, 2013-2023
But in the bustling Denver market, where overall unemployment hovers near 3%, demand for manufacturing workers is at a 10-year high.