Economy
Commercial Infrastructure and Support Industries
2008 – Space Insurance – Snapshot
The satellite insurance industry had a positive year in 2008 due to successful launch experience. Launch insurance prices increased for 2009, bringing rates from the ##-##% range back up to the ##-##% levels seen in the earlier part of the decade. According to XL Insurance, a space industry specialist, 2008 premiums were $## million, against $## million in claims. The upward pressure on premiums stemmed largely from events in 2007 when claims of $## million due to launch failures surpassed premiums of $## million.
2008 – Ground Stations and Receivers – Snapshot
The enhanced methodology employed this year eliminates potential double-counting of revenues that can occur because of separate, overlapping estimates for ground equipment and GPS equipment. Thus the total estimated 2008 revenue of $## billion appears lower than those reported as separate categories in The Space Report 2008.
2008 – Space Stations – Snapshot
Funding for the largest in-space platform, the International Space Station, is included in the government budgets of ISS partners. NASA, the largest contributor, allocated $## billion for the space station in fiscal year (FY) 2008 and requested $## billion for FY 2009. During 2008, two major modules were added to the ISS: the Japanese Kibo, which cost approximately $# billion to develop; and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Columbus, which cost €880 million (US$## billion).
2008 – Satellite Manufacturing – Snapshot
In 2008, ## satellites were launched globally, down from ## satellites in 2007. The total number of satellites for 2008 and 2007 excludes robotic missions to the ISS and crewed missions. The estimated value of commercial and non-commercial satellites decreased by ##%, down to $## billion in 2008 from $## billion in 2007. The decrease in total value can be attributed primarily to a smaller number of high-value government satellites launched as compared to less-costly commercial satellites.
2008 – Launch Industry – Snapshot
The pace of operations in the launch industry was essentially unchanged in 2008 with ## total orbital launches carrying ## payloads. This compares with ## orbital launches in 2007 carrying ## payloads and continues a steady four-year increase in global space launch count. Each Space Shuttle mission is counted as a single payload. Of the ## launches in 2008, ## carried commercial payloads, ## carried non-commercial payloads.
2008 – Commercial Infrastructure and Support Industries – Snapshot
Revenue in 2008 for commercial space infrastructure, including launch vehicles, satellites, in-space platforms, ground equipment, and infrastructure support industries totaled $## billion. Space infrastructure revenue estimates are shown in the exhibit. Government budgets include funding for infrastructure and are addressed separately in Government Space Budgets.
2008 – Commercial Human Spaceflight – Snapshot
The personal spaceflight market continues to promise a bright future as commercial flights get under way as early as 2010 and demand and sales begin to increase. RocketShip Tours announced that rides aboard the Lynx, a suborbital vehicle being constructed by XCOR Aerospace, would cost $95,000 apiece. XCOR has already booked reservations for about 22 flights, each reservation secured by a deposit of $20,000. Space Adventures accumulated $30 million in revenue during 2008 due to entrepreneur Richard Garriott’s trip to the ISS. Garriott is the son of former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott; they are the first American father and son to have left the Earth’s atmosphere. In 2009, Charles Simonyi, CEO and President of Intentional Software, is to be Space Adventures’ first repeat space explorer. He traveled to the ISS in 2007 and was scheduled for a second visit in March 2009. In addition, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, has secured a future Space Adventures flight with a $5 million down payment.
2007 – Commercial Human Spaceflight
While the personal spaceflight market is still in its early stages, revenue continues to accumulate for individual trips and as deposits for future flights. Charles Simonyi, by his own account, paid $## million for his 2007 flight to the ISS. Alex Tai, chief operating officer of Virgin Galactic, a spaceline offering suborbital flights, reported in late 2007 that the company had collected $## million in deposits for future suborbital trips aboard SpaceShipTwo.
2007 – Space Insurance
Revenue from space insurance premiums is estimated to be lower in 2007 than in 2006. This is partially due to the loss of the NSS-8 satellite from the January explosion of Sea Launch’s Zenit-3SL. Several insured launches were postponed as a result. Pagnanelli Risk Solutions, an insurance consultancy, estimates total premiums of between $## and $## million.
2007 – Ground Stations and Receivers
Ground equipment was the largest growth sector of space infrastructure in 2007, increasing ##% over 2006. Revenue from ground equipment related to space operations is estimated at $## billion in 2007. This value is a projection based on the last five years of SIA ground equipment revenues.