Ever since a period in the late 1950s and early 1960s – when the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, the first dog, the first man and the first woman into orbit – the US has been the pre-eminent space power.

American spending and technological prowess have ensured a global lead, although the US space programme arguably lost its main thrust 40 years ago, after the triumphant Apollo moon landings. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has been losing ground steadily in its share of federal government spending – from a peak of almost 5 per cent in the late 1960s to 0.5 per cent today – yet it still commands far more financial resources than any other space agency.

The European Space Agency will spend €3.7bn ($4.5bn) this year, courtesy of 18 member states, while Nasa’s budget is around $19bn. The US government also spends huge amounts on space through the defence department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal agencies.