2010
2010 – India’s Launch Efforts – Snapshot
India conducted ## launches in 2010, up from two in 2009. However, ## of the ## in 2010 were unsuccessful. The ## ## used the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle to carry into orbit two remote sensing satellites, one of which was Indian and the other Algerian, along with several small technology demonstration craft.
2010 – Japan’s Launch Efforts – Snapshot
Japan conducted ## successful launches of its H-IIA rocket, compared with ## launches in 2009. The Japanese space program was also able to end a launch window restriction at its Tanegashima launch facility, which had limited launches for much of the year.
2010 – Europe Launch Efforts – Snapshot
In 2010, Europe launched ## rockets, as compared to ## in 2009. Although a higher launch rate was planned, along with the debut of the Russian-built Soyuz from the European launch complex in Kourou, French Guiana, the European launch industry experienced a series of setbacks which kept it from meeting these goals.
2010 – China’s Launch Efforts – Snapshot
China began the year with only a few missions publicly disclosed, but a series of unannounced launches in the second half of the year made 2010 China’s busiest year ever in terms of launch activity, exceeding its previous national record of ## launches in 2008. While China had only launched ## rockets by the end of July, it carried out ## launches in the following three months.
2010 – Russia’s Launch Effort – Snapshot
The Russian space program maintained its historically high launch rate while continuing development of its new spaceport and launch vehicles. Over the course of 2010, Russia conducted ## orbital launches, up from ## in 2009, using such longstanding vehicles as the Proton and Soyuz. Russia is developing ## new rocket systems to meet its needs for the future and is also working to launch the Soyuz 2 rocket from the existing European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
2010 – Japanese Space Industry Employment – Snapshot
According to data from the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies (SJAC), Japan’s space employment dropped precipitously between 2007 and 2008, but then rebounded even more sharply from 2008 to 2009, as shown in Exhibit 4l. The SJAC calculated a ##% decline in industry employment, from ## in 2007 to ## in 2008—the largest year-on-year decline since 1996, with more than ## positions eliminated.
2010 – U.S. Launch Efforts – Snapshot
The U.S. launch industry sustained a healthy rate of launches and saw the successful debut of ## new rockets, the Falcon 9 and the Minotaur IV. The United States accounted for ## launches in 2010, below the 2009 level of ## launches but comparable to its 2005-2009 average of ## launches a year.
2010 – Orbital Astrophysics Systems – Snapshot
ESA’s Herschel and Planck observatories were launched together in May 2009, and both are being used to study the evolution of distant stars and the effects of the Big Bang. In July 2010, both missions made noteworthy progress: the Planck mission produced its first map of the entire sky at microwave wavelengths, while the Journal Astronomy & Astrophysics published a special issue dedicated to Herschel, featuring 152 papers based on new data from the mission.
2010 – Solar Orbital Systems – Snapshot
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) was launched from Cape Canaveral in February 2010. SDO studies where the Sun’s energy comes from, explores its inner workings, and helps scientists learn more about how energy is stored and released in the Sun’s atmosphere.
2010 – Ground Observatories, Astronomy – Snapshot
Ground-based observatories are essential tools to aid astronomers in their study of objects that can be as close as our neighboring planets or billions of light years away. Scientists are always striving to study their subjects in detail, so they need to obtain the best possible images.