Economy
Commercial Infrastructure and Support Industries
2014 – Commercial Infrastructure and Support Industries Overview
The market continues to grow as revenue rose 17.7% in 2014 for the commercial space infrastructure and support industries from $108.48 billion in 2013 to $127.65 billion. Nearly 94% of that revenue is from the sales, construction, and maintenance of ground stations and equipment. Government spending on space infrastructure is not included in this section, but is described in Government Space Budgets.
Economy: Space Economy – TSR 2014
2013 – Space Insurance
Infrastructure support industries include services such as space insurance and space-related research and development funded by private organizations. The global space insurance industry saw continued profitability in 2013. Aon ISB, a risk management and insurance brokerage firm, estimated that space insurance premiums at the end of 2013 totaled approximately $## million compared to approximately $## million paid out in claims during the same period, including an estimate of $## million for an expected claim on Koreasat-5.
2013 – Commercial Human Spaceflight
The retirement of the Space Shuttle created an impetus for the development of commercial cargo and crew transportation services. Several corporations are taking advantage of this space transportation capacity vacuum to speed development of new spacecraft and rockets. The milestone-driven Commercial Crew Program, based in part on COTS, was put in place in 2010 with the goal of advancing development of a commercially operated crew transportation system capable of ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS. NASA has awarded more than $## billion toward the development of commercially operated manned space vehicles through a series of phases identified in the NASA Commercial Crew Funding exhibit. In November 2013, NASA issued the final Request for Proposals for Phase 2 of the Commercial Crew Program, called the Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCTCap) contract. The aim of the new funding is to ensure that commercial operators meet NASA’s safety requirements and will include at least one crewed demonstration mission to the space station before 2017. CCTCap Phase 2 awards are scheduled to be announced in mid-2014.
2013 – Ground Stations and Receivers
The total market for ground stations and equipment was estimated at $## billion in 2013, a ##% increase compared to $## billion in 2012. The term “ground equipment” refers to Earth-based infrastructure and technology used to guide and communicate with satellites, networks of ground control stations, vehicle-mounted and portable satellite terminals such as very small aperture terminals (VSATs), video broadcast distribution stations, and end-user consumer equipment.
2013 – Space Stations
There were ## flights to the ISS in 2013, including ## cargo delivery missions and ## cargo delivery vehicle test mission, and ## crew transportation missions. The number and type of launches to the ISS in 2013 were similar to those in 2012. During 2013, cargo transportation was provided by ## European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), ## Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), ## U.S. Dragon vehicle, ## U.S. Cygnus test mission, and ## Russian Progress vehicles. ## Russian Soyuz spacecraft transported astronauts and cosmonauts to and from the station.
2013 – Satellite Manufacturing
A total of ## satellites were launched (or attempted to be launched) in 2013, a ##% increase from the ## satellites launched in 2012. This includes all payloads launched into space with the exception of technology development payloads and missions to the ISS. This dramatic shift is due primarily to deployment of ## microsatellites—satellites less than 91 kilograms (200 pounds) in mass—in 2013, as compared to the five-year average from 2009 to 2013 of only ## microsatellites per year.
2013 – Launch Industry
In 2013, ## orbital launches were attempted carrying ## payloads, including satellites, interplanetary probes, and flights to the International Space Station (ISS). Of these ## launches, ## successfully placed their primary payloads into orbit. The 2013 total of ## launch attempts is similar to the average rate of ## launch attempts per year from 2009 to 2013. Of the ## orbital launch attempts in 2013, ## were conducted by commercial launch providers and ## by governments
2013 – Commercial Infrastructure and Support Industries Overview
Revenue for commercial space infrastructure and support industries, which include satellite manufacturing, launch services, space stations, ground stations, and associated equipment, totaled $## billion in 2013, an increase of ##% from $## billion in 2012. This total does not include government spending on space infrastructure, which is described separately in Government Space Budgets.