By 2003, there were 10 actors with an independent orbital launch capacity, with an average of one new actor developing such a capability every eight years. A total of 44 states have accessed space through an independent launch capability or the launch capabilities of others. In the 1990s, the rate of increase in this capability doubled from just less than one to just less than two per year, mostly for civil space programs. Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. of the UK has enabled seven countries to build their first civil satellite over the last 12 years. 2004 saw this trend toward greater civil space access continuing, with Iran announcing plans to launch a satellite in 2005, and South Korea and Russia signing an agreement on the joint development of a launch vehicle planned for use in 2007. The US Boeing Delta IV-Heavy launcher completed its first launch. While the Delta-IV Heavy launcher was developed primarily for the USAF, it will also provide new civil launch capabilities. Overall, a total of 28 civil assets, including satellites and human spaceflights, were launched in 2004, in addition to five launches involving the deployment of seven global utility satellites.

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Cowan-Sharp, Jessy, Robert Lawson et al. Space Security Index 2004. Waterloo, Ontario: Space Security Index, June 2005. [ 13 quotes ] [ page XI ]