Futron has released their second annual Space Competitiveness Index: A Comparative Analysis of How Countries Invest In and Benefit from Space Industry. In addition to an update of the original evaluation of the top 10 space powers across more than 50 individual metrics, the 2009 update offers several new profiles of emerging space powers and two new industry segment analyses. This year, for the first time, the Data Set used to create the Space Competitiveness Index is also for sale. The Data Set is a large Microsoft Excel workbook with more than 120 individual worksheets featuring all 71 individual figures found in full report for easy cutting-and-pasting, as well as raw data used to compile the 50+ metrics analyzed in Futron’s 2009 Space Competitiveness Index.
In addition to detailed country-by-country analyses, Futron’s 2009 Space Competitiveness Index introduces several new elements. There are five new European mini-profiles that includes an overview of the space activities of five leading European countries: France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. These profiles provide a more nuanced view of the complex European dynamic. Also included are five new emerging space actor profiles, with this enhanced European focus complemented by an additional new discussion of Australia, Singapore, South Africa, plus a timely examination of strategic questions surrounding the space programs of Iran and North Korea. The 2009 Index also adds two new focused segment analyses: Space Exploration and Space Technology Capability Base
The Space Exploration examines civil space exploration, including deep space missions and scientific spacecraft. The Space Technology Capability Base segment offers comparative snapshots of technical clusters considered key, from an engineering perspective, to ensuring space functionality. In addition, the three segments first assessed in 2008-Military, Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), and Remote Sensing-are updated and refined.
