United States
2009 – Earth Observation – Snapshot
Earth observation systems provide a diverse array of satellite data and value-added imagery products to government and industry. This information helps organizations understand climate change, promote national security, assist in the management of natural resources, and support infrastructure construction and maintenance. As the cost of land imagery decreases, satellite operators are increasingly shifting toward integrated imagery and data services to differentiate and add value for clients. This trend is expected to continue as new satellite operators enter the market and as automated data interpretation, integration, and web-based hosting systems mature.
2009 – Satellite Radio – Snapshot
The digital audio radio services sector, known as satellite radio, experienced a slight decline in 2009 due to the sluggish economy and a poor year for the auto industry. Satellite radio revenue decreased to an estimated $## billion in 2009 compared to $## billion in 2008. It is expected that growth in the satellite radio market will continue to be closely tied to the economic situation in the United States, particularly to the negative impact of declining sales in the…
2009 – Satellite Television – Snapshot
DTH television’s $## billion in estimated 2009 revenue constitutes ##% of the commercial satellite services sector. North American DTH companies DIRECTV and DISH Network continue to lead the marketplace with combined estimated total revenues of $## billion in 2009. The remaining $## billion comes from revenue of non-U.S. DTH providers. Analysts predict that the number of worldwide DTH subscribers will exceed ## million by 2018.
2009 – NASA Workforce – Snapshot
In addition to U.S. private sector employment, the U.S. government employs a substantial base of civilian space workers. NASA is the primary government agency responsible for civil space activity, including human spaceflight. As of November 2009, NASA directly employed ## people, referred to as “civil servants.”
2009 – Space Insurance – Snapshot
The satellite insurance industry saw profits decline in 2009 compared to 2008. XL Insurance, a space industry specialist, estimates that 2009 premiums totaled $## million, while 2009 insurance claims totaled $## million. Aon/ISB, an insurance brokerage, reported that 2009 premiums totaled approximately $## million and claims amounted to $## million. These estimates indicate that 2009 was a slightly more challenging year than 2008, when XL Insurance reported premiums of $## million, against $## million in claims.
2009 – Space Stations – Snapshot
The largest in-space platform is the International Space Station. NASA, the main contributor to the ISS, received $## billion for the station in fiscal year (FY) 2010 compared to $## billion approved by Congress in FY 2009. This funding does not include flight or ground operations costs of shuttle flights to and from the ISS. During 2009, two major modules were added: the final truss segment and a section of the solar array. The truss acts as the junction through which external utilities, such as power, communications, and ammonia for thermal control systems, are routed to the pressurized modules.
2009 – Satellite Manufacturing – Snapshot
In 2009, governments, companies, and organizations launched ## satellites, compared to ## satellites launched in 2008. This total includes all payloads except for missions to the ISS and Hubble. The ## satellites generated $## billion in manufacturing revenue, an increase of ##% from the $## billion value of satellites manufactured in 2008. The $## billion change in total value from 2008 to 2009 stems primarily from the deployment of high-value defense satellites, such as the U.S. Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) ballistic missile warning satellites.
2009 – Human Launch -Snapshot
In addition to government human spaceflight efforts, some companies are developing commercial systems for orbital human spaceflight. Several American companies have shown an interest in orbital human spaceflight to serve both government and commercial customers. SpaceX has designed its Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon capsule to be able to support human missions, although that is not a requirement under the terms of the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program run by NASA. Orbital Sciences, the other U.S. company with a funded COTS agreement, has expressed interest in developing a crewed version of its Cygnus cargo spacecraft that would be able to carry three or four astronauts.
2009 – Launch Industry – Snapshot
In 2009, ## orbital launches were conducted, carrying ## payloads into space, including cargo, satellites, and other types of spacecraft. This marked a notable increase from the 2008 total of ## launches carrying 106 payloads, and continued a five-year trend of annual increases in launch activity. The 2005 total of ## launches and ## payloads began a period of #% average annual increase in launches. Of the ## launches in 2009, ## were conducted by commercial launch providers and ## were non-commercial.
2009 – Official U.S. Workforce Statistics – Snapshot
In light of the ongoing conversation in the American space community about ensuring a long-term human capital supply, The Space Report 2010 identifies ## occupations important to sustaining space-relevant skill sets in the United States, and assembles data on them from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While many of the people in these occupational categories work in industries other than space, together they comprise a key part of the labor pool from which space workers are drawn.