Trends in space activities in 2014: The significance of the space activities of governments

• Space faring nations put greater emphasis on self-reliance.
• Relationship between space exploration and political conflicts is intensifying.
• Exacerbation of international tensions affects international cooperation.
• Commercialization pushes space-faring nations deeper into space.
• Growing attention is paid to the interface between the cyber and space domains.

This article addresses the principal events of 2014 in the field of space activities, and extrapolates from them the primary trends that can be identified in governmental space activities. In 2014, global space activities centered on two vectors. The first was geopolitical, and the second relates to the matrix between increasing commercial space activities and traditional governmental space activities. In light of these two vectors, the article outlines and analyzes trends of space exploration, human spaceflights, industry and technology, cooperation versus self-reliance, and space security and sustainability. It also reviews the space activities of the leading space-faring nations.