Appendix
Proportion of governments that increased space spending, 2018-2023


Preliminary data shows that 81% of governments with space programs increased spending in 2023.
Vandenberg customer mission share 2014–2023


No single mission segment dominated the base’s launches until 2022, when 10 of 16 Vandenberg launches delivered commercial payloads to space.
NASA share of U.S. federal budget, 1959-2025


The overall Pentagon budget proposal for 2025 is $850 billion, $8 billion more than its 2024 request.
Vandenberg customer mission share 2014–2023
Cumulative human spaceflight, 1961–March 18, 2024


Human spaceflight activity is off to a rapid pace in 2024 with a private Axiom mission, a public ISS mission, and a private Virgin Galactic mission taking flight in the first nine weeks of the year.
Annual launch attempts, 2022, 2023, 2024 projection


The pace is expected to quicken, with a dozen more new launch vehicles preparing for flight.
Lunar soft landing attempts


Unlike the failures that plagued early lunar missions, which included launch failures, missing the Moon, or crashing, recent lunar landings are more often quashed by software errors.
U.S. spaceports hosting successful orbital launches, 2014-2023


Launch services conducted 83 launches from Vandenberg and 72 from Kennedy, while Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island performed 19 launches.
Space Force Guardians, FY2022 and FY 2023


The Space Force, which falls under the Department of the Air Force, employed 13,716 Guardians and civilian workers at the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, an increase of 34.7%
Top 3 commercial space sectors, 2015-2022


Commercial revenues continue to make up the majority (78%) of the global space economy. The top three commercial space sectors — ground stations, direct-to-home television, and position, navigation, and timing — totaled $373 billion in 2022.