2015
2015 – Missile Detection Satellites – Snapshot
Missile detection and warning satellites, a type of system first launched into orbit more than forty years ago, are used to monitor potential threats on a global scale. They provide a very high vantage point, using complex systems and technologies to provide notification of possible hostile activities, such as missile launches occurring in areas of interest.
2015 – Earth Observation – Snapshot
The commercial remote sensing industry was estimated at $2.47 billion in 2015. Market research firm Northern Sky Research expects this to grow to $4.5 billion by 2024. Much of this growth will be driven by the information products segment of the industry, which is taking advantage of higher resolution imagery and big data analytics products.
2015 – Satellite Communications – Snapshot
Operators of communication satellites lease satellite capacity to satellite broadcasting companies, making the provision of these services possible. For example, DISH Network accounted for nearly a third of Hughes Network’s total revenue in 2015. Satellite communications also include two-way data, voice, and video connections. Revenues for the satellite communications segment in 2015 were…
2015 – International Space Station (ISS) – Snapshot
In 2015, the ISS was the only inhabited space station orbiting the Earth. By July 2015, an international cadre of 220 men and women had temporarily lived aboard the ISS as builders, scientists, and explorers since people first entered the station in November 2000. The crew aboard the ISS continued conducting research in a microgravity environment, as well as observing the impacts of long-term habitation in space on the human body during 2015.
2015 – U.S. Army Space Workforce – Snapshot
The next largest security space workforce in the United States is within the Army, with more than 3,399 billets for FY 2016, 8.4% more than the 3,137 billets in FY 2015. The 374 Space Operations Officers (FA40) make up about 10% of this total, with the remaining 3,025 made up of Space Enablers.
2015 – Indian Spaceports – Snapshot
During 2015, the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC), located in India’s Sriharikota Range, was India’s only spaceport supporting orbital space vehicle launches. The…
2015 – Japanese Spaceports – Snapshot
Of Japan’s two spaceports, Tanegashima and Uchinoura Space Centers, Tanegashima was the only spaceport conducting orbital space launch vehicle launches in 2015. Uchinoura…
2015 – Europe Launch, Payload
Europe’s share of global orbital launches grew by 1% in 2015—from nearly 12% in 2014 to nearly 13% in 2015—although the number of launches conducted by the European coalition remained the same. The one European orbital spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, conducted all 11 orbital SLV launches in 2015.
2015 – India Launch, Payload
2015 was a record year for India, increasing the number of launches the country conducted to an unprecedented high. India carried out nearly 6% of global orbital launch activity in 2015. The country’s five launches beat out the previous year’s record of four. India’s launch rate during the 20 years prior to 2015 averaged 1.7 SLV launches per year. There were no Indian launch failures during 2015.
2015 – China Launch, Payload
China’s share of the global orbital launch market in 2015 nearly matched that of the United States. China accounted for slightly more than 22% of the global orbital launch market. China’s SLV launch rate of 19 for 2015 helped the country maintain its position in the global launch industry from 2014. Even though China launched two new SLVs in 2015, there were no known failures of Chinese SLVs in 2015 and 2014.