The global space industry has suffered along with the rest of the world economy but still managed to grow nearly 2.5 percent last year, according to The Space Report 2009.
The report was released Monday by the Space Foundation on the opening day of the 25th National Space Symposium at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
The report said the space economy rose $6 billion — to $257 billion — in worldwide space-related revenues last year at a time when space stocks in U.S. markets declined 45 percent.
Gov. Bill Ritter opened the symposium Monday, a first for a Colorado governor. Ritter has touted aerospace as an area of job growth. Colorado has more than 300 space-related companies, with more than 175,000 residents employed in aerospace.
Ann Schrader, The Denver Post
