China
2011 – Brazilian Government Space Budget Snapshot
The National Congress of Brazil’s 2012 Federal Budget authorized ## million reais (US$## million) in funding for civil space activities in two civil government agencies. This represents an increase of ##% from the authorization for the previous year.
2011 – China’s Human Launch Efforts – Snapshot
China is the only nation other than Russia to currently operate a human spaceflight system. In 2011, China placed its first modular space laboratory into orbit with the launch of the Tiangong-1 laboratory in September. The Tiangong module, whose name means “heavenly palace” in Mandarin, is about the size of a city bus. Following Tiangong-1, China launched an uncrewed Shenzhou-8 spacecraft. Following two days of maneuvers as Shenzhou-8 adjusted its orbit to meet up with Tiangong-1, the spacecraft conducted a successful, and technically challenging, automated docking procedure. This successful rendezvous and docking is a major milestone toward China’s long-term goal of establishing a permanent modular space station by the end of the decade.
2011 – Government Space Budgets Overview Snapshot
Overall government investment in space remains strong and growing, although the effect of smaller budgets is being seen in some places, including the United States, where 2011 government space spending was below the 2010 level. While the United States remains responsible for ##% of global government space spending, other governments appropriate significant amounts. Some, such as Brazil, Israel, and Russia, are on the cusp or in the midst of major increases in government space appropriations. Government space programs accounted for approximately $## billion in spending during 2011, which represents ##% of the total global space economy.
2011 – BeiDou – Snapshot
Since 2000, China has also been building its own national PNT system, known as Beidou (the Mandarin name for the constellation otherwise known as the Big Dipper). China launched ## satellites in 2011 to join the ## currently in orbit. These satellites will later become part of a global constellation, Compass, which is planned to consist of ## MEO satellites for global coverage and ## GEO satellites that will focus on regional coverage over China. Beidou began operating in December 2011, providing initial PNT services to a swath of the Asia-Pacific region from Australia in the south to Russia in the north with an accuracy of 25 meters (82 feet).
2011 – GLONASS – Snapshot
A launch in October 2011 raised the number of operational satellites in Russia’s GLONASS system to ##, enabling full global coverage for the first time since the 1990s. GLONASS was designed to serve both military and civilian populations. The original Soviet system began deployment with the 1982 launch of its first satellite. However, due in part to Russia’s economic difficulties in the 1990s, the network fell into disrepair. In 2001, President Vladimir Putin ordered a 10-year, $## billion modernization program.
2011 – China Space Stations – Snapshot
China made great strides in 2011 toward developing its own modular space station, through the successful launch of the Tiangong-1 laboratory and rendezvous and docking with an unmanned Shenzhou-8 space vehicle. Two more Shenzhou missions are expected to dock with the module in 2012, with at least one of the missions carrying a crew.
2011 – South African Government Space Budget – Snapshot
Space activities in South Africa are funded through the Department of Science and Technology (DST). In FY 2011, which ran from April 2011 to March 2012, the DST planned to spend ## million rand (US$## 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 – Top-level Trends – Snapshot
In 2010, the global space workforce continued to weather the effects of the global financial crisis, recession, and ongoing economic uncertainty with relative resiliency. Declines in American space employment caused hardship but were relatively small compared to the overall global space workforce.
2011 – Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Services Snapshot
Products and services that use satellite geolocation and navigation systems comprise one of the largest and fastest-growing markets in the space industry. Estimated global revenue for this market, as projected by the European GNSS Agency (GSA) in an October 2010 report, was $## billion in 2011, compared to $## billion in 2010.
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.