How Many Satellites Are In Space?
How many satellites are in space?
As of January 2022, there are an estimated 8,261 satellites orbiting the Earth, as listed in the Index of Objects Launched into Outer Space by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). This represents an increase of 11.84% from April 2021. However, only 4,852 of these satellites are currently active as of the end of December 2021, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) who maintains a record of operational satellites.
Out of the 12,293 objects launched into space by the end of January 2022, 155 were launched in the year 2022, which marks the highest number of orbital and suborbital launches in a year. Five of these launches failed, and one experienced partial failure.
UNOOSA lists 31 different launch facilities, including air-based, sea-based, and submarine-based launches. As per the Index of Objects Launched into Outer Space, over 58% of the satellites orbiting the Earth remain active, while the rest are inactive. According to the UCS, there are 6,542 satellites, out of which 3,372 are active and 3,170 are inactive, as of January 1st, 2021.
How many satellites are planned to launch within the next 5 years?
The amount of satellites orbiting the Earth is predicted to grow rapidly over the next few years. This growth is increased by the launch of Starlink.
As of March 2023, SpaceX's Starlink constellation already has more than 1,800 satellites in orbit.
In November 2020, SpaceX received approval from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch up to 12,000 satellites for its Starlink network. Later, in April 2021, SpaceX requested permission to launch an additional 30,000 satellites on top of the previously authorized 12,000, bringing the total number of proposed satellites to 42,000. However, it's worth noting that SpaceX has not yet confirmed if they will actually launch this many satellites.
The graph below shows a dramatic increase in active satellites from 2020 onwards, we can expect this will continue to rise at an exponential rate.
