The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has released a new factbook that provides information on the space programs of over 90 countries and the European Union. The new appendix, titled "Space Programs," was added to the CIA World Factbook in conjunction with the 80th anniversary of the factbook's predecessor publication.
The Space Programs factbook includes information on each country's space agency, space launch sites, and key activities, both historical and current. It also includes estimates of government spending on space programs.
A CIA spokesperson said the agency created the new appendix to provide "sound, reliable background information" on space programs for students, journalists, academics, and others. The spokesperson added that the information in the factbook is unclassified and publicly available, and has been gathered from open sources.
The new appendix includes information on a wide range of countries, from spacefaring powers like the United States and China to smaller countries with more limited space programs. For example, the factbook notes that Nicaragua pledged to spend over $250 million on a communications satellite with Chinese funding in 2013.
The CIA spokesperson said the Space Programs factbook is a "living document" that will be updated regularly. The agency hopes to be able to include more frequent updates in the future.
The release of the new factbook comes at a time of growing interest in space exploration. In recent years, there has been a surge in private investment in space, and several countries have announced plans to send humans back to the Moon. The CIA's new factbook provides a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning more about the global space race.