The space race began during the Cold War, and from the outset, the Soviet Union dominated in terms of the number of devices and objects launched into space. However, in recent years, the United States has reclaimed that title thanks to the remarkable growth of SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk.
What Objects Are Launched into Space?
- Satellites
- Crewed spacecraft
- Probes
- Space stations
- Exploration vehicles
Exploration vehicles help scientists discover other planets. Satellites provide us with essential daily services such as mobile phone connectivity, television signals, GPS, and more.
According to Orbiting Now, a website that specializes in tracking and monitoring satellite activity in orbit, as of March 7, there are 9,585 operational satellites in Earth’s orbit. Approximately 72% of these are small satellites, which weigh and measure less than traditional satellites, with a maximum mass of around 1.2 tons.
Earth’s orbit is covered by many satellites, including inactive ones (Image source: Pinterest).
In the 1990s, only 34% of satellites launched into Earth’s orbit were small satellites, but by the 2020s, this number had increased to 94%, indicating a growing global trend in the use of small satellites due to their advantages.
Small satellites primarily operate in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), while larger satellites mainly function in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO).
Specifically, about 12% of operational satellites are in geostationary orbit, 84% are in low Earth orbit, and only 3% are in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). 1% of satellites operate in higher orbits.
This trend exists because low Earth orbit is more accessible and offers certain advantages for small satellites, such as faster signal transmission rates. Consequently, satellites in LEO predominantly provide telecommunications and communication services.
Top 10 Countries with the Most Objects in Space
One fact to note is that not all of these countries have the capability to launch satellites into orbit, which means that even if a satellite belongs to a particular country, it does not necessarily mean it was launched by that country. For example, France’s first satellite was launched in Algeria in 1965.
According to Orbiting Now, there are currently 105 countries registered with operational satellites in Earth’s orbit. Among them, the ten countries and organizations with the most satellites are:
- 1. United States: 4,511
- 2. China: 586
- 3. United Kingdom: 561
- 4. Russia: 177
- 5. Japan: 90
- 6. India: 62
- 7. Canada: 56
- 8. Germany: 48
- 9. Luxembourg: 45
- 10. Argentina: 38
