Appendix
U.S. Space Force Officers, 2022
Over the course of 2022, the Space Force continued to grow through the transfer of individuals from other branches of the military. In 2022, 243 transfer slots — 29 officer and 214 enlisted — were available.
Average Satellite Mass per Payload (kg), 2012-2022
For 2022, spacecraft deployed with a mass of 1,000 kg or less numbered an estimated
2,144. Th ere were 65 spacecraft massing more than 1,000 kg deployed during 2022.16 Despite the increase in large spacecraft
deployments in 2022, their share of overall satellite deployments remained under 3%.
Campaign Spending by Aerospace and Defense PACs by Political Party 2012-2022
Political action committees (PACs) representing aerospace industry and defense firms weighted their federal campaign donations narrowly toward Republicans during the 2022 campaign cycle.
U.S. 8th Grade Math Scores
. . . students who struggle in high school math and science classes won’t cut it in college engineering classes unless higher education institutions invest heavily in remedial education to build skills students should have mastered in high school.
CNES Space Spending by Type, 2005-2021
Including defense spending and contributions to third parties such as ESA, France’s total space spending in 2021 was the fourth-largest in the world behind the U.S., China, and Japan.
Expenditures by program are not available yet for 2022 but launch vehicle development tends to be the largest portion of CNES’ budget. From 2017 to 2021, the Ariane program composed an average of 32% of the agency’s non-ESA expenditures.
Space Force Budget by Category, 2021-2023
In recent years, space has reestablished itself as an important component of defense strategy alongside the establishment of the Space Force and large budget increases for space programs. The Space Force received $1.7 billion more than originally requested for fiscal year 2023, resulting in $7.1 billion (39%) more than the enacted 2022 budget.
Japanese Space Budget, 2005-2021
Civil space activities in Japan are coordinated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which is funded primarily through the Ministry for Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT).
France Space Budget, 2005-2021
The majority of the French space budget goes to the French space agency, the Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES). About 36% of CNES spending, went toward ESA projects. An additional 31%, of CNES spending went to the national space program. The remaining funds, were allocated for maintaining national resources and the Future Investment Program (PIA).
Per Nation Mass Share of an Estimated 973,000 KG, 2022
Operators deployed ~421 spacecraft with a mass of 200 kg or less, 18% of all deployed spacecraft in 2022. SpaceX’s Starlink satellites comprised over half the spacecraft mass deployed in 2022. The company’s Starlink deployments added up to 518,523 kg, nearly double the 257,140 kg it deployed in 2021. The largest spacecraft deployed during 2022 was Lockheed Martin’s Orion space capsule (25,848 kg), deployed during NASA’s first Artemis/Space Launch System launch.
Spacecraft Deployed Per Mass Range, 2022
Mass estimates of all spacecraft deployed during 2022 exclude many of China’s spacecraft deployments and all U.S. classified spacecraft. However, without the mass totals from those two spacecraft operators, the overall spacecraft mass deployed during 2022 is estimated to be ~961,200 kilograms(kg), averaging ~415 kg per deployed spacecraft.