Global Satellite Industry Revenue Up 3% in 2015, SIA Says

The number of functional satellites in orbit as of the end of 2015, at 1,381, was up 39 percent from 2011, with the average number of satellites launched per year in 2011-2015 up 36 percent over the previous five-year span, the Satellite Industry Association said Thursday in a report. For the year, 202 satellites were launched, roughly the same as 2014, with more than half of those being cubesats, SIA said. Overall satellite industry revenue in 2015 rose 3 percent from 2014, to $208.3 billion, with the U.S. claiming roughly 43 percent of that, SIA said. The biggest piece was in satellite services -- $127.4 billion, up 4 percent, driven largely by satellite-TV services growth, which is seeing particular subscriber growth in emerging markets, SIA said. That was followed by ground equipment -- $58.9 billion, up 1 percent -- and satellite manufacturing -- $16.6 billion, up 4 percent -- it said. The one down area was launches, which at $5.4 billion was down 9 percent, a reversal of the 9 percent growth in 2014, SIA said. The overall 3 percent growth in 2015 was the sixth straight year of single-digit industry growth, after double-digit growth for a number of years in the previous decade, SIA said. It said 33 launch orders were placed in 2015, up from 22 in 2014, and at least 17 low earth orbit-capacity launch vehicles are under development worldwide.