Global Space Tech
Orbit is getting crowded and concentrated: 4,000 new payloads were placed in orbit worldwide in 2025 (ESA), and SpaceX flew 83% of FAA-licensed launches in FY2024 (FAA). Global private investment in space was €7 billion in 2024 (ESA).
20 verified facts tracked for this market — each with its source, reporting period and evidence tier. Tier 1 = primary institutions (central banks, statistical offices); tier 2 = disclosed industry panels.
| Metric | Value | Geo | Period | Tier | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total life-cycle cost of NASA's portfolio of major projects | 70USD billion | US | FY2026 | T1 | gao.gov |
| NASA major projects proposed for cancellation in the FY2026 President's Budget Request | 19projects | US | FY2026 | T1 | gao.gov |
| SpaceX share of FAA-licensed launches by operator | 83% of FAA-licensed launches | US | FY2024 | T1 | faa.gov |
| FAA-licensed commercial space operations in FY2024 | 148licensed commercial space operations | US | FY2024 | T1 | faa.gov |
| FAA commercial space inspections performed | 810inspections | US | FY2024 | T1 | faa.gov |
| UK Defence Investment Plan funds earmarked for space capabilities | 3GBP billion | UK | 2026-2030 (first four years of the Defence Investment Plan) | T1 | gov.uk |
| People employed in the UK space sector | 55000people | UK | 2026 | T1 | gov.uk |
| Cumulative schedule delays of NASA's major projects portfolio | 14years | US | 2026 | T1 | gao.gov |
| Cumulative development cost overruns of NASA's major projects portfolio | 4.7USD billion | US | 2026 | T1 | gao.gov |
| Reduction of NASA's civil service workforce between March 2025 and January 2026 | 22percent | US | 2025-2026 | T1 | gao.gov |
| New payloads placed in orbit worldwide in 2025 | 4000payloads | GLOBAL | 2025 | T1 | esa.int |
| Payload objects in low Earth orbit at year-end, including inactive payloads | 14906payloads | Global | 2025 | T1 | sdo.esoc.esa.int |
| IMAP launch ahead of its committed launch readiness date | 3months | US | 2025 | T1 | gao.gov |
| Iridium commercial voice and data average monthly revenue per billable subscriber | 47USD/month | GLOBAL | 2025 | T1 | sec.gov |
| Spent rocket bodies and other cataloged orbital debris tracked by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network | 15727objects | Global | 2024-03-04 | T1 | orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov |
| Starlink broadband subscriber base | 4million subscribers | Global | 2024 | T1 | space-economy.esa.int |
| Global private investment in space | 7EUR billion | Global | 2024 | T1 | space-economy.esa.int |
| European private space investment growth | 56% increase vs 2023 | Europe | 2024 | T1 | space-economy.esa.int |
| Share of UK space-sector organisations reporting any skills-related challenge (workforce gaps, recruitment difficulty, o | 95% of surveyed UK space-sector organisati | UK | 2023 (survey open 24 April - 2 June 2023) vs 2020 | T1 | gov.uk |
| UK space organisations using external specialist training providers | 53% | UK | 2023 | T1 | gov.uk |
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