Canada
2012 – Dual Purpose EO/RS
Many remote sensing satellites have dual military and civil or commercial purposes. India launched its indigenously developed radar imaging satellite, RISAT-1, in April 2012. The satellite will join RISAT-2 and will provide India with the ability to image features on the ground even if covered by clouds or foliage due to its use of a C-band microwave synthetic aperture radar. RISAT-2, a radar-based reconnaissance satellite, was purchased from Israel and deployed before RISAT-1 to help track and prevent terrorist activity, such as the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
2012 – Meteorology
Weather satellites form another major segment of remote sensing satellites, typically operating in GEO or polar LEO orbits. These systems are primarily operated by national governments for forecasting near-term weather patterns. Delays and funding issues could endanger the robustness of some weather satellites programs, as several existing polar satellites are operating near or beyond their design life and are in need of replacement. One program in particular, the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), is set to replace the aging Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) fleet.
2012 – Land Imaging
Land imaging satellite performance is described using a variety of characteristics, including differences in spatial resolution (as measured by how many pixels compose an object), positional accuracies (as measured by the extent to which objects are represented accurately), and spectral capabilities (as measured by wavelengths of light captured, including visible and beyond-visible spectra). High-resolution land imaging satellites have resolutions below 1 meter (3 feet) per pixel, allowing users to distinguish cars from trucks, for example.
2012 – Space Policy: Common Topics and Different Approaches
Throughout the world, space policies, strategies, and plans are formalized in documents through which governments communicate the priorities and strategic objectives of their space programs. Space policies describe the overarching approach that guides a country’s space program within the contex… Thank you for visiting The Space Report! The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity, Packed…
2012 – Satellite Communications
The 2012 revenue for the satellite communications sector is estimated at $## billion, #% higher than the 2011 figure of $## billion. The market is composed of satellite operators, which lease out the transmission capacity of their satellites to private and government clients in need of transmission capability. Traditionally, these satellites were used to transmit voice and television signals where it was economically or technically disadvantageous to string telephone wire. Examples include transoceanic transmissions, places like Siberia where…
2012 – Canadian Government Space Budget
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) managed a FY 2012 budget appropriation of C$## million (US$## million). This figure included Canada’s planned C$## million (US$## million) FY 2012 contribution to the European Space Agency (ESA).
2012 – Government Space Budgets Overview
Government space programs accounted for approximately $## billion in spending during 2012, representing ##% of the global space economy. Government investment in space grew by ##% in 2012, a rate lower than the average annual ##% growth rate between 2008 and 2012. The top-line figures, however, do not fully depict how some countries have significantly increased space spending while others have made cuts, as shown in Exhibit 2o below. Governments do not all operate under the same fiscal cycle, so international space spending numbers were derived…
2012 – Other Space Employment
There are more than 50 countries with space programs in all regions of the world. Although it is not possible to get detailed statistics on many of these groups from year to year, it is possible to gather estimates that give some indication of overall size. Exhibit 4w provides estimates of the size of the space workforce in a variety of national space agencies.
2012 – Space as a Tool of International Trade and Development
Space, Development, and International Trade in Africa Africa’s space sector typifies the dynamics at play in the intersection of space, trade, and development. The African continent is expanding the scale and scope of investments in its space sector. This expansion will include the development of a… Thank you for visiting The Space Report! The Authoritative…
2012 – ISS
The ISS is the largest spacecraft currently in orbit, measuring 109 meters (358 feet) long, with a mass of almost 419,500 kilograms (925,000 pounds). The station was developed and is operated by an international partnership of NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).