There are more than 1,200 active satellites orbiting earth right now, taking pictures, relaying communications, broadcasting locations, spying on you, and even housing humans. Thanks to a database compiled by the Union of Concerned Scientists, we can show you each one, as of August 21, 2014.
The satellites are sized according to their launch mass and are colored by their
USRussiaChinaJapanIndiaEuropeanmultinationalOther20,000 kgNot known5,000<3 text="">Launch weight
Speed of Earth's rotationSpeed of Earth's rotationSpeed of Earth's rotationOrbit of the Moon100 kilometers (km) above earth2003004005006007008009001,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,0007,0008,0009,00010,00020,00030,00040,00050,00060,00070,00080,00090,000100,000200,000300,000400,000500,000600,0001,050 km264 km997 km257 km1,000 km200 km1,041 km202 km676 km574 km37,900 km33,674 km38,740 km1,210 km553 km249 km1,203 km1,012 km1,203 km1,012 km266 km206 km1,203 km1,017 km1,200 km1,013 km1,205 km1,019 km1,201 km1,016 km1,203 km1,016 km1,200 km1,015 km1,201 km1,014 km1,202 km1,011 km358 km342 km138,825 km9,999 km37,580 km1,112 km37,564 km1,111 km152,812 km2,284 km38,950 km32,618 km47,048 km12,849 km114,027 km7,079 km47,100 km23,783 km47,086 km6,179 km330,000 km1,000 km37,768 km33,782 km665 km628 km39,388 km961 km39,396 km964 km39,807 km542 km39,697 km667 km37,872 km35,693 km35,725 km33,066 km586 km508 km569 km522 km120,961 km17,313 km120,923 km17,007 km470,310 km186 km120,715 km17,240 km120,768 km16,809 km703 km440 km104,552 km3,905 km654 km622 km1,016 km949 km968 km907 km1,008 km949 km1,011 km961 km1,016 km969 km1,022 km968 km1,011 km954 km1,013 km967 km1,008 km960 km496 km473 km503 km470 km486 km448 km502 km474 km505 km468 km1,739 km1,459 km30,657 km595 km30,534 km591 km525 km500 km1,486 km325 km673 km621 km665 km628 km320,000 km7,000 km1,413 km900 km11,836 km658 km813 km403 km1,155 km952 km534 km510 km633 km600 km764 km367 km589 km343 km580 km405 km576 km340 km601 km385 km5,732 km264 km819 km623 km664 km620 km611 km564 km646 km613 km741 km619 km740 km620 km739 km620 km741 km620 km739 km620 km740 km619 km626 km593 km87,526 km474 km87,260 km467 km87,304 km461 km35,717 km608 km35,697 km627 km710 km670 km697 km667 km776 km716 km676 km553 km696 km661 km599 km567 km682 km613 km1,482 km298 km2,165 km1,885 km828 km772 km849 km751 km836 km764 km638 km595 km746 km669 km831 km769 km839 km635 km650 km613 km666 km613 km626 km599 km1,475 km326 km838 km768 km636 km601 km734 km696 km1,465 km326 km617 km570 km618 km583 km672 km583 km699 km613 km669 km594 km747 km697 km736 km650 km733 km613 km746 km649 km758 km648 km764 km696 km715 km613 km714 km652 km674 km604 km694 km627 km780 km696 km717 km603 km640 km504 km668 km610 km795 km696 km850 km694 km694 km610 km725 km651 km653 km594 km739 km613 km702 km603 km694 km639 km849 km594 km886 km594 km815 km594 km815 km594 km654 km624 km627 km600 km886 km443 km886 km443 km886 km443 km886 km443 km886 km443 km792 km499 km791 km495 km791 km495 km697 km612 km653 km619 km653 km620 km791 km484 km789 km483 km797 km594 km790 km480 km747 km594 km731 km594 km819 km593 km640 km593 km639 km596 km886 km443 km886 km443 km715 km594 km816 km457 km890 km469 km700 km593 km581 km554 km640 km590 km700 km614 km698 km611 km700 km614 km886 km443 km683 km594 km683 km594 km1,261 km306 km1,297 km305 km1,313 km306 km640 km589 km639 km590 km886 km443 km1,112 km890 km606 km579 km11,600 km1,200 km591 km534 km1,164 km1,017 km1,164 km1,017 km1,164 km1,017 km886 km443 km39,966 km400 km39,850 km500 km39,362 km1,006 km668 km626 km1,081 km1,032 km606 km555 km317 km291 km422 km401 km
Low earth orbit
Medium earth orbit
Geostationary orbit
High earth orbit
Space begins 100 km up. Satellites are arranged by altitude, but they don’t all stay in the same place—37 of them are in elliptical orbits that maximize their view of earth at high altitude before a quick low-altitude jaunt around the other side of the planet.
Set the satellites into orbit
Launching satellites costs at least $4,653 per kg. The biggest is the ISS, which grew to 420,000 kg as it was built. The heaviest unmanned satellites are American Keyhole spy sats weighing 10,000 kg, as much as a school bus. The smallest cubesats weigh as little as 1 kg, about as much as a milk carton.Highlight US spy satellites orHighlight cubesats
The largest private satellite constellation belongs to Iridium Communications, which has 71 satellites in orbit.Highlight Iridium's constellation
The oldest satellite is Amsat Oscar 7, an amateur radio satellite launched in 1974. It went dead in 1981 but was reactivated in 2002. It turned 40 years old on Nov. 15, 2014.
Most satellites have a life-span of just five to 10 years, which is why more than half of the active satellites were launched since 2008 and 60% since 2005. Only 33 active satellites were launched before 1995 , and 395—about one third—from 1995 to 2005.Color by age
The United Nations regulates satellites in orbit. In 2013, 4,500 applications to launch satellite networks were submitted from 72 countries.The US boasts the most satellites at 495 in orbit. That reflects the American government’s world-leading $39 billion space budget and its wealthy economy.The next highest total comes fromRussia, home of ur-orbiter Sputnik, which has 131 satellites in orbit and operates the world’s busiest spaceport in Kazakhstan. China, the rising space power with its own space station, Tiangong-1, operates 115 satellites.
The eight O3b Networks satellites provide broadband internet to the “other 3 billion” internet users in emerging markets.Highlight O3b's constellation
494 satellites are used primarily forcommercial purposes, but that undercounts the business importance of space: GPS and Glonass navigation satellites are included in the count of 337 primarily military orbiters.Color by primary user
Sirius XM’s constellation broadcasts to more than 26 million terrestrial listeners. Highlight Sirius XM's constellation
Notes: This graphic excludes satellites no longer in use but still orbiting, and passive satellites. Weight depicted is the launch weight, which includes the satellites fuel. The official names of US military satellites listed as "Keyhole" in the database are not known to the UCS. Satellites classified as European are either owned/operated exclusively by the ESA or multiple european countries. The SB-WASS satellites weigh in excess of 5,000 kg but the UCS is unaware of their exact size.
Image: NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring Highlight the satellite that captured it (it orbits around 800 km in low earth orbit)
Easter egg: To see the relative speed of orbits (and possibly melt your browser), press Q and then the space bar. Currently:
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