On May 16, 2015, a Russian rocket malfunctioned and crashed, costing hundreds of millions
of dollars, a far cry from the golden age of the Cold War’s space race.
Meanwhile, countries like South Africa and Nigeria are just entering their own era of
space exploration.
So how many countries today have space programs?
Well, even though many countries boast space programs, only about a dozen have rocket-launching
capabilities.
These include Japan, India, and North Korea.
Also, only space programs from 3 countries have successful HUMAN spaceflight technology
- the US, China, and Russia.
The United States has the most successful space program in the world.
Their main government entity, NASA, has a budget of $40 Billion dollars.
The USSR’s space program, used to rival the United States during the space race in
the 1950s and 60s.
But the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the recent economic sanctions against Russia,
have drastically affected their productivity.
In 2013, Russia spent $8.6 Billion dollars on their space program, outpaced by both the
US, AND China.
In recent years, other countries have also made developments in the space industry.
India sent an orbiter to Mars for research in 2013.
Nigeria and Egypt have also owned a few satellites, which they use for observation and weather
tracking . And Argentina owns a host of orbiting sensors, which detect and predict natural
disasters.
But why are these poorer countries spending money on space programs?
Well, most of them DON’T have lofty goals like walking on the moon - they are instead
using simple earth satellites to monitor weather and the terrain.
This helps farmers increase profit and production.
And the satellites can also be used to improve internet and telephone infrastructure.
This is possible in developing countries because the cost of building these technologies has
dropped significantly over the years.
Underdeveloped countries can also gain a competitive edge by entering the global space race.
North Korea, for example is not considered a superpower, but it has high-level rocket
technology that threatens larger nations.
Developing space programs can also lead to more tech innovations in general.
This has happened in the United States, when NASA discoveries led to new commercial products
like invisible braces and scratch-resistant sunglasses.
So really, developing a space program is a great investment for most nations.
The added technological benefits allow countries to improve their telecommunications and can
raise their international standing.
Space development is a great way to add to the economy, and often becomes a powerful
source of national pride.
If you’re interested in diving deeper into the space and other awesome science topics,
you’re going to really love my brand new show TestTube Plus!
On the very first episode, we dive into the question: Why the heck are we so obsessed
with Mars?
There will be new topics every week, so if you’re a TestTube fan, make sure you subscribe!
Thanks everyone!
I’ll see you there.