2010
2010 – Commercial Infrastructure and Support Industries – Snapshot
Revenue for commercial space infrastructure, which includes launch services, satellite manufacturing, ground stations, and associated equipment, totaled $## billion in 2010. Information regarding government spending on space infrastructure can be found in Government Space Budgets.
2010 – Government Space Budgets – Snapshot
While the United States accounts for ##% of global government space spending, on par with recent years, a large and growing number of countries appropriate sizeable sums for various space programs. Government space programs accounted for approximately $## billion in spending during 2010, which represents about a third of the total global space economy.
2010 – Economy – Snapshot
The global space economy continued to demonstrate strong growth in 2010, increasing by ##% to reach a record total of $## billion. This figure shows the continuation of a five-year trend of expansion in the space economy, demonstrating growth of ##% from $## billion in 2005. While many other industries declined in recent years due to the recession, growth in the space economy as a whole was at least #% every year.
2010 – Demographics – Snapshot
The United States, Canada, and Europe together comprised about 35% of first-degree STEM graduates. Japan and South Korea comprised 8% and 6%, respectively, while Australia comprised 2%. Europe led in STEM doctoral degree production, comprising 44% of the total as of 2006 and experiencing growth of 29% between 2002 and 2006.
2010 – Degrees Awarded – Snapshot
While mechanisms such as the PISA test reveal a cross-national focus on primary and secondary STEM competency, a more direct measure of the potential international space workforce is offered through a comparative analysis of STEM university graduates by country.
2010 – European Space Industry Employment – Snapshot
Despite the recession and financial crisis, the European space workforce has continued to add jobs. According to data collected by Eurospace, the nonprofit European space industry association, 31,369 full time equivalent (FTE) employees worked in the European space sector in 2009. This marked a net increase of 1,068 FTEs, or 3%, between 2008 and 2009.
2010 – Official U.S. Workforce Statistics – Snapshot
Another issue facing the U.S. space industry is the demographic challenge associated with the retirement of veteran space employees and the entry of a new workforce. As shown in the exhibit NASA Civil Servant Workforce Age Profiles Over Time, the NASA workforce is concentrated in an age band from 45 to 54 years of age.
2010 – Remote Sensing Ground Networks – Snapshot
Earth observation satellites require unique ground infrastructure support, as these satellites collect large quantities of specialized data. While many ground stations for other kinds of satellites serve as hubs, simply relaying data between satellites and terrestrial users, Earth observation ground stations sometimes require specialized facilities to stitch together and interpret the data collected by remote sensing satellites. This enables people to make use of the imagery in a wide range of consumer and scientific applications.
2010 – NASA Geographical Distribution – Snapshot
At Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, the contractor workforce is anticipated to be reduced from ## in 2009 to approximately ## by the time the shuttle ceases operations. Impacts of this job loss are expected to significantly affect the local economy beyond space industry unemployment alone. The workforce development agency in Brevard County, where KSC is located, estimates that up to ## jobs in total will be lost in the county as a result of the NASA contractor downsizing.
2010 – U.S.: SBSS – Snapshot
In 2010, the United States launched the first Space Based Space Surveillance satellite (SBSS-1) for its Space Surveillance Network. From its LEO orbit, SBSS-1 supplements ground-based equipment that tracks more than ## objects ## centimeters (## inches) or larger orbiting Earth. Its vantage point in space means that its observations of other objects in space are not affected by weather, lighting, or distortion that can be caused by the Earth’s atmosphere. This enables more accurate and timely information regarding objects’ orbital paths, thus allowing for earlier warnings of potential spacecraft collisions.