Five Things to Know About Global Space Activity

In June, the Space Foundation released the findings of its publication The Space Report 2016: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity, the definitive annual overview of the global space industry and serves as a valuable resource for government and business leaders, educators, financial analysts, students and space-related businesses.

Here are five things you should know about the global space economy in 2015:

1. What’s the big number? The global space economy totaled $323 billion worldwide in 2015.

2. Is that a decline from 2014? The decline from $329 billion in 2014 was due primarily to the strengthening dollar, meaning that non-U.S. government budgets and industry revenues appeared smaller even though most experienced growth in their own currencies.

3. What about commercial space? With a total of $246 billion, commercial space activities made up 76 percent of the global space economy.

4. Did defense spending in space decline in the U.S.? No, actually the U.S. government spent $45 billion on defense and non-defense space efforts in 2015, a 3 percent increase from 2014.

5. What about the rest of the world? Non-U.S. government space investment declined by 14 percent in dollar terms, primarily due to exchange rates, to a total of $32 billion in 2015. In reality, most countries increased their budgets for space activities.

About The Space Report
The Space Report is published annually by the Space Foundation, using in-house industry analysts working with a European aerospace consulting firm, Eurospace, to research and analyze government and industry trends in space activity.
 
The Space Foundation offers an online service that provides subscribers with access to all the research conducted for The Space Report dating back to 2005, as well as new data sets that have never appeared in the report. This website provides users with updates throughout the year, as well as customizable charts and downloadable data for further analysis. To view more information about this service, visit www.TheSpaceReport.org.

The Space Report can be purchased as a downloadable PDF for $399. A website subscription can be purchased for $3,500. The subscription includes the ability to download every published edition of The Space Report. Purchases can be made online at www.TheSpaceReport.org.

Licenses for businesses and schools, academic pricing and discounted previous editions of The Space Report are also available via online purchase.

This article is part of Space Watch: September 2016 (Volume: 15, Issue: 9).