Space applications have become an important part of everyday life. Weather forecasting, air traffic control, global communications and broadcasting, disaster management, and many other key activities would be almost unthinkable today without satellite technology. The space industry itself is relatively small compared to other manufacturing sectors, but its technological dynamism and strategic significance mean that it plays an ever more critical role in modern society.
TheSpace Economy at a Glance 2010 paints a richly detailed picture of the international space industry, its downstream services activities, and its wider economic and social impacts. The book answers key questions such as: Who are the main space-faring nations? How large are revenues and how much employment is there in the sector? How much R& D goes on, and where? What is the value of spin-offs from space spending? A dynamic link (StatLink) is provided for graphs, which directs the user to a web page where the corresponding data are available in Excel® format.