Now Online: Introduction to Space Activities

The Space Foundation has produced a new, updated version of Introduction to Space Activities, which is now available on the Space Foundation website and as a downloadable PDF. This handy booklet is used to educate individuals who need a fundamental understanding of space terminology and activities.

Introduction to Space Activities includes chapters outlining:

• Space Sectors: a brief description of the various government and commercial entities that comprise the overall global space industry.
• U.S. Government Space Programs: an overview of the multiple U.S. organizations that develop, implement, regulate and manage space assets and programs.
• Global Space Programs: an overview of 16 major non-U.S. space agencies, a list of many of the 52 nations currently engaged in space activities and a brief overview of global space budgets.
• Orbits of the Earth: a diagram and glossary explaining the various types of Earth orbits used for space applications.
• Space Situational Awareness: a quick description of the process of viewing, understanding and predicting the location of objects that orbit the Earth.
• Space Weather: an overview of how geomagnetic solar storms, ionosphere disturbances and scintillations and geomagnetic-induced currents affect Earth and how they are monitored.
• Communications: Radio Frequencies: a description of how various radio frequency bands are used for space and terrestrial communications.
• Launch Vehicles: charts showing active launch vehicles from various nations, including initial launch dates, launch sites and payload capability.

To view online in flipbook format or to download the PDF, click here.

Introduction to Space Activities complements the Space Foundation's more comprehensive and topical publication, The Space Report: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity. To order a copy, click here.