Which Country Has How Many Satellites in Earth Orbit

From military observation satellites to communications, from GPS satellites that help you find your destination to the satellites that provide the internet so you can read this right now, we use satellites orbiting the Earth in every aspect of our lives without even realizing it. Thousands of them continue to move in orbit, even though they may not be visible every time you look up at the sky.

There are more than 4500 man-made satellites with various characteristics orbiting the Earth. Most of them are used to facilitate life on Earth. But astronomers complain that all these satellites make it difficult to observe space from Earth. They also argue that debris from a collision in orbit could have negative consequences for all orbiting satellites, and therefore there should be a restriction. But which country would be the most affected if such a restriction is imposed? How many satellites do countries and companies have in Earth orbit?

To answer these questions, a research team called DEWESoft analyzed data collected from various independent institutions to compile a list of the 50 companies and institutions with the most satellites in Earth orbit. And to help understand the organizations and purposes for which thousands of satellites are sent into space, they created this infographics.

The 30 Countries With the Most Satellites Orbiting Earth

1. United States: 2,804
2. China: 467
3. United Kingdom: 349
4. Russia: 168
5. Japan: 93
6. India: 61
7. Canada: 57
8. Germany: 47
9. Luxembourg: 40
10. Argentina: 34
11. France: 31
12. Spain: 24
13. Italy: 21
14. Israel: 19
15. South Korea: 18
16. Brazil: 16
17. Netherlands: 16
18. Finland: 15
19. Australia: 14
20. Saudi Arabia: 13
21. Taiwan: 13
22. United Arab Emirates: 13
23. Switzerland: 13
24. Singapore: 11
25. Turkey: 9
26. Indonesia: 8
27. Norway: 8
28. Mexico: 8
29. Thailand: 7
30. Kazakhstan: 6

In January 2022, when DEWESoft created the graphic, 49 more satellites were sent into orbit in a 3-month period, especially within the scope of Starlink, a project by Space X to provide internet from space. It is aimed to reach 12,000 in total with Starlink satellites sent in groups in the coming period.

Number of Satellites of Government Agencies and Companies

Today, most of the communication is provided by satellites owned by various countries in Earth orbit. Therefore, half of the more than 4500 satellites in Earth orbit are communication satellites.

SpaceX is the company/organization with the largest number of satellites in Earth orbit with 1655 satellites. And they plan to send about 1000 Starlink satellites into space every year, for a total of 12,000 Starlink satellites. And when SpaceX completes the project, it will have more satellites than all other companies and countries combined.

While it is interesting to note that NASA and ESA, two of the most well-known companies in the space sector, are not included in the top 10, it is important to note that the projects of these organizations are at a different level and feature than other companies.

The 10 Owners of the Most Satellites Orbiting Earth

1. SpaceX: 1,655
2. OneWeb Satellites: 288
3. Planet Labs Inc.: 188
4. Chinese Ministry of National Defense: 129
5. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation: 125
6. Spire Global Inc.: 121
7. Swarm Technologies: 120
8. U.S. Air Force: 87
9. Iridium Communications Inc.: 75
10. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO): 63