China
2010 – Orbital Launch Reports and Forecasts – Snapshot
Launch vehicles can be grouped into two categories. The first consists of vehicles that can propel their payloads fast enough at a sufficient altitude to achieve orbit. A launch vehicle that is unable to place a payload in orbit, but can still carry a payload into space, is referred to as a suborbital launch vehicle.
2010 – Probes – Snapshot
NASA’s Kepler spacecraft was launched in March 2009 aboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Kepler’s mission is to monitor the brightness of more than 100,000 stars in a single region of the sky for at least three years.
2010 – Infrastructure Metrics – Snapshot
Some accepted estimation methods fais to take into account the fact that not all launch vehicles are equal. The smallest orbital launch vehicles can place payloads of only a few hundred kilograms into orbit, while the largest vehicles can carry tens of thousands of kilograms. This section explains how the Space Foundation provides meaningful methods of measuring space infrastructure.
2010 – Chinese Government Space Budget – Snapshot
Responsibility for Chinese space activities is shared by several agencies including the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which operates the country’s human spaceflight program and its launch centers. Data on the Chinese national space budget is difficult to obtain and estimates vary widely. During an April 2006 speech in Washington, DC, CNSA Vice Administrator Luo Ge stated that the CNSA budget was approximately US$## million per year. While this figure is credible for the CNSA as an agency by itself, it is likely too low to represent the full extent of space spending in China.
2010 – Brazilian Government Space Budget – Snapshot
The National Congress of Brazil’s 2011 Federal Budget authorizes ## million reais (US$## million) for activities associated with the National Program of Space Activities (PNAE), a decrease of ##% from the authorization for the previous year. This authorization includes ## million reais (US$## million) for the Brazilian space agency,
Agência Espacial Brasileira (AEB), and ## million reais (US$## million) in capital investment associated with the Alcântara Space Centre.
2010 – Launch Industry – Snapshot
In 2010, ## orbital launches occurred carrying ## payloads into space. These payloads included satellites, other types of robotic spacecraft, and cargo and crew missions to the International Space Station (ISS). Compared to the ## launches that took place in 2009, the launch rate in 2010 represents a #% decrease, discontinuing a five-year annual average growth rate of #% from 2005-2009.
2010 – Demographics – Snapshot
The United States, Canada, and Europe together comprised about 35% of first-degree STEM graduates. Japan and South Korea comprised 8% and 6%, respectively, while Australia comprised 2%. Europe led in STEM doctoral degree production, comprising 44% of the total as of 2006 and experiencing growth of 29% between 2002 and 2006.
2010 – Degrees Awarded – Snapshot
While mechanisms such as the PISA test reveal a cross-national focus on primary and secondary STEM competency, a more direct measure of the potential international space workforce is offered through a comparative analysis of STEM university graduates by country.
2010 – Ground Networks – Snapshot
An essential element of space infrastructure, ground stations transmit commands to and receive data from spacecraft. They also often contain facilities to process that data, particularly in the case of Earth observation satellites. The data sent from ground stations includes command and control data, software upgrades, and other mission-critical instructions. Satellites send information such as tracking and telemetry data in addition to imagery and scientific observations.
2010 – Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Systems – Snapshot
Note: This exhibit is from The Space Report 2011.