How Many Satellites Are in Space

How Many Satellites Are in Space

Another definition of satellite is a manufactured vehicle intended to orbit the Earth. This definition makes our count much less because it includes only spacecraft and not debris that orbits the Earth. The Goddard Space Flight Center's lists 3,215 satellites currently in orbit. Russia has the most satellites currently in orbit, with 1,437 satellites, followed by the U.S. with 1,099.

The most up-to-date data comes from CelesTrak which is funded by the Center for Space Standards and Innovation, located in Colorado Springs. As of writing there are over 13,000 satellites in orbit and over 24,500 satellites have decayed since 1957. Looking carefully at the data it appears that there are just under 3,500 satellites that are both functioning and in their correct orbit compared to nearly 10,000 that are classed as debris but haven't yet decayed. So 75% of the satellites orbiting the Earth are junk!

The Space Surveillance Network has tracked a total of more than 24,500 objects in space. And of those, it’s currently watching about 8,000 objects currently in orbit. So, you could say that there are currently 8,000 satellites in space. Approximately 560 of those objects in space are actually operational satellites, and the rest are dead satellites, or pieces of space debris. The SSN tracks objects as small as about 10 centimeters in diameter (about the size of a basketball). So there are many objects even smaller out there.

The largest man-made satellite currently in orbit around the Earth is the International Space Station. Some satellites, called microsats, nanosats, or picosats, can be as small as 10 cm (3.937 inches) in diameter and 0.1 kg (0.22 pounds) in mass.

Satellites Of Countries

Country	Year of first launch	First satellite	Payloads in orbit in 2010-2011
Soviet Union (Russia)	1957 (1992)	Sputnik 1 (Cosmos 2175)	1437
United States	1958	Explorer 1	1099
Japan	1970	Ōsumi	127
China	1970	Dong Fang Hong I	120
France	1965	Astérix	49
India	1975	Aryabhata	45
Germany	1969	Azur	42
Canada	1962	Alouette 1	32
United Kingdom	1962	Ariel 1	29
Italy	1964	San Marco 1	17
Luxembourg	1988	Astra 1A	15
Saudi Arabia	2000	Saudisat 1A	12
South Korea	1992	Kitsat A	12
Australia	1967	WRESAT	11
Brazil	1985	Brasilsat A1	11
Sweden	1986	Viking	11
Indonesia	1976	Palapa A1	10
Argentina	1990	Lusat	10
Israel	1988	Ofeq 1	10
Taiwan	1999	ROCSAT-1	9
Spain	1974	Intasat	9
Mexico	1985	Morelos 1	7
Thailand	1993	Thaicom 1	6
Ukraine	1995	Sich-1	6
Hungary	2012	MaSat-1	5
Pakistan	1990	Badr-1	5
Netherlands	1974	ANS	5
Czechoslovakia	1978	Magion 1	5
Turkey	1994	Turksat 1B	5
Nigeria	2003	Nigeriasat 1	4
Iran	2005	Sina-1	4
Denmark	1999	Ørsted	4
Malaysia	1996	MEASAT	4
Norway	1997	Thor 2	3
United Arab Emirates	2000	Thuraya 1	3
Egypt	1998	Nilesat 101	3
Singapore	1998	ST-1	3
South Africa	1999	SUNSAT	2
Chile	1998	FASat-Bravo	2
Cyprus	2003	Hellas Sat 2	2
Vietnam	2008	Vinasat-1	2
Philippines	1997	Mabuhay 1	2
Mauritius	2007	Rascom-QAF 1	2
Kazakhstan	2006	KazSat 1	2
Greece	2003	Hellas Sat 2	2
Morocco	2001	Maroc-Tubsat	1
Poland	1973	Intercosmos Copernicus 500	1
Poland	2012	PW-Sat	1
Colombia	2007	Libertad 1	1
Bulgaria	1981	Intercosmos Bulgaria 1300	1
Algeria	2002	Alsat 1	1
Switzerland	2009	SwissCube-1	1
Romania	2012	Goliat	1
Portugal	1993	PoSAT-1	1
Venezuela	2008	Venesat-1	1

When satellites reach the end of their mission, satellite operators have the option of de-orbiting the satellite, leaving the satellite in its current orbit or moving the satellite to a graveyard orbit. Historically, due to budgetary constraints at the beginning of satellite missions, satellites were rarely designed to be de-orbited. one example of this practice is the satellite Vanguard 1. Launched in 1958, Vanguard 1, the 4th manmade satellite put in Geocentric orbit, was still in orbit as of August 2009.

Instead of being de-orbited, most satellites are either left in their current orbit or moved to a graveyard orbit. As of 2002, the FCC now requires all geostationary satellites to commit to moving to a graveyard orbit at the end of their operational life prior to launch.

 

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