futron's 2010 space competitiveness index - Futron Corporation

FUTRON’s 2010 SPACE COMPETITIVENESS INDEX (SCI)A Comparative Analysis of How Countries Invest in and Benefit from Space IndustryEXECUTIVE SUMMARYSince the successful launch of Sputnik more than 50 years ago, we have lived in a world transformedby space. Space is practical, economic, and strategic. Countries that participate in space reap tangiblescientific, technical, and financial rewards that improve the lives of their citizens, increase their baseof knowledge, advance their productive capabilities, expand their range of economic activities, andenhance their geopolitical position. Nations active in space accrue strategic benefits over their peers—and nations that lead in space develop sustained advantages that underpin, complement, and augmenttheir leadership across all other dimensions of global commerce, technology, prestige, and power. Thisrealization has made space an arena for both international cooperation and competition.Futron’s 2010 Space Competitiveness Index is an analytical framework that defines, quantifies, andranks global competitiveness within the space industry. By measuring the underlying drivers ofeconomic advantage, the methodology is designed to assess the ability of a country to undertake spaceactivities and evaluates their relative performance within a globally competitive market. With itsstrategic focus, Futron’s 2010 SCI builds upon the work conducted for our inaugural 2008 and 2009reports, as well as incorporating extensive feedback from clients and readers. The SCI goes beyond atypical economic assessment to consider the comparative space-related strengths, weaknesses,opportunities, and threats for each of the 10 countries examined. These country profiles were reviewedand vetted by industry experts. The countries identified as the top 10 leading space-faring nations in2010 include: Brazil, Canada, China, Europe (treated as an integrated whole), India, Israel, Japan,Russia, South Korea, and the United States.Executives, policy makers, and thought leaders who seek to shape the future space landscape—andmaximize their competitive advantages within it—require a nuanced, methodical, and rigorouscomparative analysis of the dynamics and benefits of both competitive and collaborative postures.Futron Corporation, a premier provider of decision management solutions (DMS), created its annual,independent Space Competitiveness Index (SCI) expressly for this purpose. The SpaceCompetitiveness Index is a decision management tool. It offers decision makers, faced with financialchallenges and increasing global competition, an ongoing benchmark to continuously re-assess thecomparative landscape of space activity—and to contemplate its implications for their respectivegovernments, businesses, and organizations. Nations, militaries, companies, and other actors acrossthe world seek to derive maximum economic, security, diplomatic, technological, and scientificbenefits from space. Futron created the Space Competitiveness Index to contribute to theunderstanding of these complex strategic issues in a structured way.WHAT’S NEW IN FUTRON’S 2010 SPACE COMPETITIVENESS INDEX?In 2010, Futron Corporation has built on its foundational 2008 and 2009 studies to provide an updatedand refined analysis of international space competitiveness. Futron’s 2010 Space CompetitivenessIndex examines the activities of leading space-participant nations from a fresh perspective, surveyingthree-year trends as a benchmark, and providing further discussion of their respective strengths,weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The SCI provides a structured analysis of international spacecompetitiveness by measuring 50+ individual metrics across three underlying dimensions ofcompetitiveness: government, human capital, and industry. Using this framework, Futron offers acomparative assessment of 10 nations: Brazil, Canada, China, Europe (viewed as a single entity),India, Israel, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States (U.S.).1Futron Corporation