2015
2015 – French Government Space Budget – Snapshot
In 2015, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France’s space agency, had a budget of €2.126 billion (US$2.371 billion). This was a 1.3% decrease from its 2014 budget of €2.153 billion…
2015 – European Space Agency Budget – Snapshot
ESA operated with a 2015 budget of €4.433 billion (US$4.94 billion), an 8% increase from the 2014 budget of €4.102 billion (US$5.62 billion). The growth was primarily due to…
2015 – European Commission Space Budget – Snapshot
A growing share of the European public investment in civil space programs is funded by the European Union under the auspices of its executive body, the European…
2015 – U.S. Space Workforce – Snapshot
The U.S. space workforce includes commercial, civil, and national security space workers. The commercial and civil workforce continued to decrease in size, with core industry employment dropping 3.2% from 2013 to 2014, a decrease of 7,234 workers.
2015 – Commercial Infrastructure and Support Industries – Snapshot
In 2015, commercial infrastructure and support industries accounted for $120.09 billion, 5.2% less than in 2014. The decrease was almost entirely due to the growing strength of the U.S. dollar.
2015 – Annual Space Situational Awareness – Snapshot
In simplest terms, space situational awareness (SSA) is knowing what is happening, or possibly may happen, in the space around an object or point. For many organizations, such as the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), SSA is decidedly near-Earth focused, encompassing intelligence, surveillance, and…
2015 – Chinese Government Space Budget – Snapshot
China is one of three nations, along with the United States and Russia, capable of launching humans to space, though it has not done so since 2013. China is developing…
2015 – Canadian Government Space Budget – Snapshot
In FY 2015, which extends from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) budget was C$483.4 (US$387.5 million). This is an increase of 27.6% over FY 2014 funding.
2015 – Brazilian Government Space Budget – Snapshot
Brazil has been experiencing widespread economic challenges in recent years, with almost no growth in GDP in 2014, and an estimated 3% decline in 2015. These broader issues have affected spending on space activities.
2015 – Satellite Orbits – Snapshot
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a total of 1,381 satellites were still operational at the end of 2015. These satellites are mostly located in low Earth orbit (LEO) between 200 and 2,000 kilometers (124–1,242 miles) of altitude. LEO is home to 759 active satellites, or 55% of the total. This family of orbits remains the main orbital location of satellites due to the wide range of missions it allows and to the low energy required to reach it, which typically results in lower launch costs.