Economy
Government Space Budgets
2009 – Spanish Government Space Budget – Snapshot
The Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA), the primary organization responsible for space activities in Spain, oversaw a budget of €## million (US$## million) in 2009. This budget included €## million (US$## million) in appropriations from Spain’s national budget, and €## million (US$## million) in expected revenue from other sources, including INTA’s own commercial operations. The 2009 INTA appropriation from the Spanish national budget is essentially unchanged from the previous year.
2009 – Italian Government Space Budget – Snapshot
The Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), Italy’s space agency, managed a budget of €## million (US$## million) in 2009, excluding contributions made to ESA. This represents a ##% percent increase from ASI-only spending totaling €## million (US$## million) in 2008. Italy’s contribution to ESA totaled €## million (US$## million) in 2009, an increase of ##% from 2008. Combined, the ASI budget and Italy’s ESA contribution total €##million (US$## billion), representing approximately ##% of Italy’s planned 2009 budget of €## billion (US$## billion).
2009 – German Government Space Budget – Snapshot
The Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Germany’s national space agency, oversaw an authorized budget of €## million (US$## million) in 2009, excluding contributions made to ESA. This represents a ##% increase from DLR-only spending of €## million in 2008. Most major line items within the DLR budget received an increase in 2009, including the National Space Program for investments in satellite communications systems, Earth observation, and space-related ground infrastructure. In addition to the DLR-only spending, Germany made €## million (US$## million) in ESA contributions in 2009. Combined, the DLR authorization and ESA contribution total €## billion (US$## billion), representing approximately ##% of Germany’s 2009 budget of €## billion (US$## billion).
2009 – French Government Space Budget -Snapshot
France’s space agency, the Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), operated on a budget of approximately €## million (US$## billion) in 2009, excluding contributions made to ESA. This represented a ##% percent increase from the 2008 budget of €## million. In 2009, France contributed €## million (US$## billion) to ESA programs. Combined, the CNES budget and the French contribution to ESA total €## billion (US$## billion), representing approximately ##% of France’s €## billion (US$## billion) national budget in 2009.
2009 – European Space Agency Budget – Snapshot
With 18 member states, ESA had a 2009 budget of €## billion (US$## billion), approximately ##% more than the 2008 budget of €## billion (US$## billion). The largest ESA funding line items are the Ariane and Vega launch vehicles, at ##% of ESA’s 2009 budget, and Earth observation activities at ##% of the budget, including projects such as the European Remote Sensing series of satellites, the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity satellite, and the new Sentinel series of satellites to be developed in connection with GMES.
2009 – European Commission Space Budget – Snapshot
The 2009 budget of the European Commission includes €## billion (US$## billion) in funding for space-related programs. The EC space-related budget focuses on three primary areas: space research, security research, and European satellite navigation programs. The space and security research areas are executed through the EC’s Seventh Framework Program, which provides research and development funding to European Union member states on a competitive basis.
2009 – Chinese Government Space Budget – Snapshot
The Chinese civil space budget is not published, and estimates of spending vary widely. In 2005, the vice administrator of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) stated that the Chinese space budget was US$## million. However, many analysts contend that annual Chinese civil space spending is in fact considerably higher, reaching as much as US$## billion. China has demonstrated dramatic space progress in the past decade, which likely can be linked to growing space expenditures through the CNSA.
2008 – South Korean Government Space Budget – Snapshot
In 2008, South Korea spent an estimated ## billion won (US$## million) on civil space, approximately ##% of its national budget. In addition to scientific and remote sensing satellites, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute and the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology are funding the US$## million development of the country’s first orbital launch facility, the Naro Space Center, as well as the Korea Satellite Launch Vehicle.
2008 – Japanese Government Space Budget – Snapshot
The 2008 Japanese space budget was about US$## billion, approximately ##% of the country’s ¥## trillion (US$## billion) national budget. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) received US$2.08 billion. These funds are allocated to scientific and exploration missions including Planet C, a Venus exploration probe; GPM/DPR, a global precipitation measurement satellite; BepiColombo, a joint European-Japan Mercury mission; GCOM, a climate monitoring mission; and the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System for space-based communications and navigation. In addition, Japan continues development of the H-IIB vehicle, an enhanced version of its current H-IIA vehicle. The H-IIB booster will carry the H-II Transfer Vehicle, a cargo supply module, to the ISS.
2008 – Israeli Government Space Budget – Snapshot
Israel’s 2008 space budget was ## million Israeli new shekels (US$## million), roughly ##% of the country’s national budget of ## billion Israeli new shekels (US$## billion). Most of Israel’s space spending has focused on military applications such as the Ofeq spy satellites and the Shavit-1 booster.