Kazakhstan Archives

2012 – Spaceports Overview

Spaceports support the preparation and operation of launch vehicles, and in some cases, act as a gateway to space for the private citizens who dream of going there. Some spaceports are very large, such as the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which encompasses 6,717 square kilometers (2,593 square miles) of territory in Kazakhstan and features up to 15 pads for many different types of orbital launch vehicles.

2012 – Russian Government Space Budget

In calendar year 2012, the planned budget for Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, was ## billion rubles (US$## billion). This was an increase of 30.43% from the previous year’s budget of ## billion rubles (US$## billion) and represented approximately ##% of Russia’s ## trillion-ruble (US$## billion) planned 2012 federal spending. Roscosmos officials said they expected a budget of ## billion rubles (US$## billion) in 2013, and that funding may increase to as much as ## billion rubles (US$## billion) by 2014.

2011 – South African Government Space Budget – Snapshot

Space activities in South Africa are funded through the Department of Science and Technology (DST). In FY 2011, which ran from April 2011 to March 2012, the DST planned to spend ## million rand (US$## million) on space activities executed through two programs: the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) and the Space Science Research, Development and Innovation subprogram. SANSA, established in 2008, planned an FY 2011 budget of ## million rand (US$## million).

2011 – Russian Spaceports Snapshot

After several years of delays and false starts, Russia began construction of the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East in January 2011. During the year, workers completed geological surveys of the site and approved overall site plans. Workers’ housing and other preliminary facilities were completed and improvements have been made in the road and rail network connecting them with the site.

2011 – Spaceports Overview Snapshot

Spaceport infrastructure in the United States is in transition as NASA makes changes at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to accommodate new launch systems in the post-shuttle era. Construction continued on new and upgraded facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport in Virginia, and Spaceport America in New Mexico. China and Russia also continued development of new spaceports during 2011.

2010 – Spaceports – Snapshot

Launch sites, commonly called spaceports, host the launches of orbital and suborbital vehicles and, in some cases, the return of spacecraft from space. Spaceports take many forms, from sprawling, dedicated complexes such as Baikonur in Kazakhstan, to specialized ships floating in the Pacific Ocean, such as Sea Launch’s Odyssey.

2009 – Non U.S. Launch and Payload – Snapshot

The Sea Launch consortium operates a derivative of the Ukrainian Zenit 2 rocket, modified with Russian and American components and used by Sea Launch as its standard booster since the company’s first launch in 1999. The Zenit-3SL rocket launches from Sea Launch’s ocean platform. A variant of this system, the Zenit-3SLB, launches from the Zenit pad at Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

2009 – Spaceports – Snapshot

Spaceports operate around the world, offering different capabilities and operational scale. In its most basic form, a spaceport is a facility dedicated to launching an orbital or suborbital craft. This can be as basic and streamlined as a concrete pad, a launch rail, a fuel depot, and a simple control room. Alternatively, it can be a huge facility that extends over of hundreds of square kilometers and incorporates tracking stations, payload processing and integration facilities, long runways, and additional facilities for visitors and media.

2008 – TIMSS

To gauge how U.S. elementary and middle school students compare with other students in math and science, the results of a test administered by the U.S. Department of Education, known as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) provide a standardized global measure. The most recent test was administered in 2007.

2008 – Other Countries, Launch, Payload

The Brazilian Space Agency has sporadically continued development of its proposed Veículo Lançador de Satélites (VLS) booster, designed to launch from the country’s Alcântara spaceport near the equator. Brazil hopes to perform further tests featuring a mockup rocket in 2010. Possibly as early as 2009, Brazil is expected to begin launching Ukrainian-built rockets under a joint venture between the two countries formalized in 2007.[