2022
2022 Sets Record for Launch Success Through June 30 Amid Busy Commercial Payload Pace
The first six months of 2022 saw a record pace of space launches, matching the mark of 75 set in the first half of 1967. And through June 30, the year saw a record pace for successful launches, topping the mark of 70 set in 1984.
U.S. Space Spending Ensnared in Congressional Budget Delays
Election year budget wrangling and a tight congressional calendar could delay plans to boost U.S. government spending on civil and military space programs, some experts predict.
SLS Test Fire: Igniting the Booster that Will Fuel Artemis Missions
The July 21 static test of the Flight Support Booster-2 conducted by NASA and Northrop Grumman in Promontory, Utah, propelled the Artemis Program one step further. While Artemis I is scheduled to launch later this summer, data from the booster test will drive improvements in future missions.
Commercial Space Revenue Climbs More Than 6%, Edging Toward $400 Billion Annually
Commercial space activity refers to efforts undertaken by private industry with little or no government investment. Commercial space revenue in 2021 totaled $362 billion.
2021 Global Space Economy Grows at Fastest Rate in 7 Years
The global space economy continued to expand in 2021 to reach $469 billion. This record high also had the largest growth rate since 2014, growing 9% from a revised 2020 total of $431 billion.
First Images, Data from James Webb Space Telescope Reveal Early Universe
The James Webb Space Telescope’s first images delivered a look at the universe as it appeared 13.1 billion years ago. Among the results: evidence of water vapor in the atmosphere of a planet 1,000 light years from Earth.
Partisan Fight Threatens to Delay Pentagon, Space Force Budget
Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee sent warning signals on Wednesday that the Pentagon’s $762 billion spending plan for 2023 could snag in the Senate over hot-button policy provisions. . .
James Webb Space Telescope Revelations Explore Time’s Dawn, Black Holes, and Earth-like Worlds
With the capability to peer at the faint glow of the ancient universe in the wake of the Big Bang, Webb already has surprised and impressed the scientific community.
Advances in Nuclear Reactors Could Power NASA Missions on Moon, Mars
After a decades-long hibernation, nuclear fission power has come back into fashion for NASA and other agencies as a way to deliver power to remote locations and drive spacecraft at speeds other fuels cannot deliver.
U.S. Space Industry Employment and U.S. Total Employment Relative to 2010
Estimates of the size of the U.S. space workforce are based on statistics made available in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. This program covers 95% of U.S. jobs and provides a consistent and reliable source of information to compare changes in the workforce over time.