Appendix
U.S. space industry employment and U.S. total employment relative to 2012
U.S. private sector space employment in five key sectors grew 4.8% from 2022 to 2023, continuing a trend of steady growth in the space industry since 2016.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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%