US space competitiveness declining: Futron Corp

Chennai, May 8 (IANS) With several nations enhancing their space competitiveness, the leader United States is the only country to log a decline in competitiveness for seven straight years, says a research report.

Even though India has improved its space competitiveness index by 16 percent in the past seven years, it has lost 1.07 basis points against South Korea during the last one year.

Russia has gained 3.05 basis points against India in 2014 over the 2013 space competitiveness index while Europe gained 1.53 basis points over the US, says Futron's 2014 Space Competitiveness Index (SCI) research report.

The US-based Futron Corporation is an internationally focussed space, satellite and telecommunications consulting firm.

Every year the firm comes out with its research report on the competitiveness of each space-faring nation.

According to the latest report, the US remains the leader in space competitiveness, but is the only nation to decline for seven straight years.

"As other countries enhance their space capabilities while the US undergoes uncertain transitions, it should not view its unique space agenda-setting power as guaranteed," the report said.

According to Futron, globalisation of space activity is accelerating, with emerging nations quickly establishing themselves as competitors to traditional leaders. Two emerging nations moved up by one rank in our 2014 results, displacing countries that had previously occupied those positions.

The report also states the emergence of four distinct space competitiveness tiers.

"The first tier of traditional space leaders is becoming more internally competitive, but also showing some stabilisation. The second tier of space powers is intensely competitive -- each country could plausibly surpass its near-peers within a short period of time. The third and fourth tiers are highly dynamic and diversified -- nations with disparate activities attained similar scores, but for different reasons," Futron said.

Futron said India has raised its game, developing fully indigenous launch vehicles and a mission to Mars.

With regard to China, the report states that it trailed the US in orbital launches in 2013 for the first time in two years, yet continues to far outpace other emerging nations in the speed with which it achieves new space milestones.

"Yet its (China's) commercial space role lags behind, and is beginning to reduce its competitiveness," Futron said.

The report states that Iran has made faster progress than any new space participant since the Cold War, but fairly or unfairly, questions about the tenor of its programme -- civilian or military -- impede collaboration.

Japan continues to improve thanks to its thorough space policy reforms, and has enjoyed recent commercial progress. Its ability to increase its launch and mission frequency and assertively market its commercial benefits are important to its future competitiveness and regional leadership.

Russia has surged, largely restoring its launch success rate, remaining vital to International Space Station (ISS) resupply, weighing long-term independent space station plans, and developing its new Vostochny Cosmodrome.

Yet its annexation of Crimea strains its relationships, and may stall its resurgence, states the report.