Pulham Shares Space Report with International Media

Space Foundation CEO Elliot Pulham shared his perspective on the state of the global space industry during a media briefing at ILA 2010 last month in Berlin, Germany, where the Space Foundation sponsored a booth and the North American Pavilion lounge in the Space Hall.

Titled Space Report 2010: The State of the Global Space Economy, the presentation shared a number of key facts:

• Space applications are rapidly expanding into all aspects of industry and all corners of the world
• The world space economy has grown 40 percent in the past five years
• Almost 70 percent of the world space economy is commercial: commercial satellite service revenues have passed $90 billion, with commercial space infrastructure close behind at $83 billion
• U.S. government space budgets are relatively flat at $64 billion; international space agency budgets have been growing rapidly, at rates ranging as high as 92 percent
• The U.S., which used to lead in launches, had only 14 percent of commercial launches in 2009; Russia led with 43 percent; and Europe had 23 percent

In discussing the future of space, Pulham stressed the increasing globalization of the industry, and the need for increased collaboration and cooperation, fueled by healthy competition. He also listed three issues to watch:

• Space debris, which is likely to drive the cost of spacecraft and space missions higher
• The controversy over NASA's future, which will affect space exploration and science programs everywhere
• Super Telescopes, which will help drive growth in the ground-based space sciences sector

Pulham's presentation was based on data found in The Space Report 2010: The Authoritative Guide to Global Space Activity, which provides a wide-ranging view of space activity throughout the world. Packed with useful and accessible information, the publication covers all sectors of the space industry and describes the previous year's highlights in space. The Space Report is available in hard copy, CD-ROM, and PDF versions. For more information and to order copies, visit www.TheSpaceReport.org.

Pulham was also featured in an interview in Aviation Week Show News, where he was described as "widely regarded as the foremost international advocate for all sectors of the global space economy." In that interview, Pulham talked about the need to reform U.S. export restrictions that hamper international space collaboration.

For information on ILA 2010, click here.

Pictured: Space Foundation CEO Elliot Pulham talks with reporters.

This article is part of Space Watch: July 2010 (Volume: 9, Issue: 7).