Russia
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, $## billion modernization program.
2011 – Bigelow Space Station – Snapshot
In June 2009, Roscosmos informed the United States of its intention to develop an orbital research facility by the time the ISS is retired. This complex would be known as the Orbital Piloted Assembly and Experiment Complex (OPSEK). The Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module and Node Module are expected to dock with the ISS in 2012, but whenever the decommissioning of the ISS occurs, Roscosmos intends to detach those modules to use as the basis for OPSEK.
2011 – South Korean Government Space Budget – Snapshot
In calendar year 2011, South Korea spent an estimated ## billion won (US$## million) on civil space, a ##% decrease from the 2010 budget of ## billion won (US$## million). South Korea’s 2011 civil space spending constituted approximately ##% of the country’s ## trillion won (US$## billion) national budget. Civil space activities in South Korea are carried out primarily by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI).
2011 – Russian Government Space Budget Snapshot
In calendar year 2011, the estimated planned budget for Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency, was ## billion rubles (US$## billion). This is an increase of ##% from the previous year’s budget of ## billion rubles (US$## billion) and represents approximately ##% of Russia’s ## trillion ruble (US$## billion) planned 2011 federal spending. Roscosmos officials said they expect a budget of ## billion rubles (US$## billion) in 2012, and that funding may increase to as much as ## billion rubles (US$## billion) by 2015.
2011 – Russian Spaceports Snapshot
After several years of delays and false starts, Russia began construction of the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East in January 2011. During the year, workers completed geological surveys of the site and approved overall site plans. Workers’ housing and other preliminary facilities were completed and improvements have been made in the road and rail network connecting them with the site.
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.
2011 – Satellite Communications Snapshot
Estimated 2011 revenue for satellite communications reached $## billion, #% higher than the $## billion for 2010. The satellite communications segment includes both fixed satellite services and mobile satellite services. FSS refers to the delivery of satellite communications to stationary ground receivers that can be moved from one location to another but do not work while in transit. MSS systems can maintain a communications link with a mobile receiver, and include applications such as satellite telephones or in-flight communications. Both types carry video, voice, and data.
2011 – Trends That Are Shaping Space Activity
The outlook for space activity is largely positive, in spite of the challenges facing many of the governments and agencies most active in space. In many ways, 2011 was a pivotal year as governments re-evaluated their human spaceflight plans and examined their portfolio of space activities in light o… Thank you for visiting The Space…