United Kingdom
2012 – Ground Observatories, Astronomy
Astronomers are laying the groundwork for a new generation of extraordinarily large observatories. The Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Telescope will be the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope ever built. The SKA takes its name from the combined size of the collecting area of the thousands of individual dishes that comprise it, making it far more sensitive than any existing radio telescope.
2012 – Spaceports as an Economic Engine
The Falcon 9 launch vehicle carrying the Dragon C2 spacecraft lifts off from the SpaceX launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Dragon was the first commercial spacecraft to successfully dock with the ISS and return to Earth, splashin… Thank you for visiting The Space Report! The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity,…
2012 – United Kingdom Government Space Budget
Civil space activities in the United Kingdom are primarily funded through the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA), which became operational in April 2011. Allocated space budgets for FY 2012/2013, which ran from April 2012 through March 2013, had not been published by the UKSA as of January 2013.
2012 – European Space Agency Budget
ESA operated with a 2012 budget of €## billion (US$## billion), a ##% increase from the 2011 budget of €## billion (US$## billion). As in the prior two years, the largest three ESA funding line items were Earth observation activities at ##%, navigation activities at ##%, and activities related to the Ariane and Vega launch vehicles at ##% of the budget. During 2012, Poland signed a formal Accession Agreement to become ESA’s twentieth member state. Poland’s mandatory contribution as an ESA member will begin to appear in ESA budgets starting in 2013.
2012 – Government Space Budgets Overview
Government space programs accounted for approximately $## billion in spending during 2012, representing ##% of the global space economy. Government investment in space grew by ##% in 2012, a rate lower than the average annual ##% growth rate between 2008 and 2012. The top-line figures, however, do not fully depict how some countries have significantly increased space spending while others have made cuts, as shown in Exhibit 2o below. Governments do not all operate under the same fiscal cycle, so international space spending numbers were derived…
2012 – European Space Industry Employment
The European space workforce includes workers from ## European countries across three segments of the industry: spacecraft, launch, and ground. The five countries with the largest workforces, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain, accounted for more than ##% of the total European space workforce in 2011. The workforce numbers include industries involved in designing, developing, and manufacturing space systems in the spacecraft, launch, and ground sectors. The numbers do not include the workforce of companies developing consumer devices, such as GPS or satellite television receivers, nor do they include employment by companies that carry out space services based on the exploitation of space assets, such as launch service providers.
2012 – Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) Space Activities
GEO satellites can allow a signal to be beamed over a wide fixed coverage area, with the potential to reach a third of the Earth’s surface. They are thus ideal for FSS operators, who often use them to send a single data stream to many stationary antennas in one or more continents. FSS satellites provide DTH video or internet services, corporate network connectivity, broadcast video distribution, and secure communications for the military. Of the ## total active satellites in 2012, ## are communications satellites.
Satellite Navigation and Timber Management
From 2011 to 2013, the ESA Business Incubation Center in Bavaria is hosting WASP-Logistik, which has been developing software that takes computer code originally developed for satellite navigation and applies it to timber management.
“I’ve Got a Golden GPS!”
Inspired by the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Nestlé devised its own version of the Golden Ticket contest, but with a decidedly space-age twist. Customers in the United Kingdom and Ireland who discover one of six GPS trackers packaged with a Nestlé chocolate bar will win £10,000 ($15,706).
Eliminating Broadcast Interference for 2012 Summer Olympics
Space products and services provide people with new and more convenient ways to enjoy themselves at home or when traveling. Entertainment programming relies heavily on the global reach of satellites, particularly for major events such as the 2012 Summer Olympics.