Global Trends in Space Access and Utilization
- Paper number
IAC-08.D3.1.7
- Author
Dr. Shamim Rahman, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Stennis Space Center, United States
- Year
2008
- Abstract
In the not so distant past, space access and air/space technology superiority were the purview of the US and former Soviet Union’s space agencies, both vying for global leadership in space exploitation. Given the emergence of the European Space Agency with its member countries, and then Asian countries, into the family of space faring nations, it is more true than ever that Space access and utilization is now a truly global enterprise. It is possible to gauge the vitality of worldwide efforts from open sources in today’s transparent media-based society. In particular, print and web broadcasters regularly report and catalog global space activities for defense and civil purposes. A representative catalog of missions is used for the purposes of this paper to illustrate the nature of the emerging “globalization.” This paper highlights global trends in terms of not only the providers of space access, but also the end-users, for the various recent missions accomplished. With approximately 50 launches occurring per year, in recent years, the launch log as it were reveals a surprising percentage of “cooperative missions” where different agencies, countries, and/or commercial entities are involved presumably to the benefit of all who participated. A few ready statistics are used to show that recently over 40% of the 50-plus missions involved multiple nations symbiotically working to launch payloads. Observers and space policy professionals have eloquently proposed and then proselytized that it might require the combined resources and talents of multiple nations to advance human exploration goals beyond low earth orbit. This paper does not intend to offer new information in that regard; nevertheless, in continuing to monitor global trends, the results seem to support the thesis that a global interdependent effort with all its likely complexities is an increasingly viable and pragmatic option. The discussion includes a breakdown of space missions into those of scientific (civil), military, and strictly commercial value, and concludes that all three are robust components of a globally diversified portfolio of activities relying essentially on the same industrial base and infrastructure. As in other industries, the distribution of space industry assets and knowledge across countries and continents enables a diverse suite of options and arrangements particularly in the areas of civil and commercial space utilization.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)