4,766 of 7,561 satellites in the dataset belong to SpaceX — a single operator accounting for more than half of human spaceflight history by count.
Unique operators
666
Distinct organizations that have placed at least one satellite in orbit.
Top non-SpaceX operator
589sats
Led by OneWeb Satellites.
Years covered
49yrs
From November 15, 1974 to April 27, 2023.
Peak year — 2022
2,113launches
~28% of all-time launches happened in a single calendar year.
Peak day — January 3, 2023
93in one day
The single busiest launch day on record.
Avg. satellites per launch day
6.2
Across 1,224 distinct launch days.
SpaceX era begins
2008
First SpaceX launch in this dataset: September 28, 2008.
Days to overtake all prior history
4,140days
SpaceX surpassed the entire 341-satellite pre-2019 backlog by January 29, 2020.
SpaceX active window
5,324days
From September 28, 2008 to April 27, 2023.
Growth & cadence
2020s vs all prior decades
75%
5,667 of 7,561 satellites were launched in the 2020s alone — more than the previous five decades combined (1,894).
Peak month
305in January 2023
The single busiest calendar month on record.
Days with any launch
6.9%
Only 1,224 of 17,696 days in the timeline saw a launch — spaceflight is far more bursty than continuous.
100th satellite launched
2001
Reached on March 8, 2001.
1,000th satellite launched
2016
Reached on April 25, 2016.
7,000th satellite launched
2023
Reached on February 2, 2023.
Constellations
Starlink share of all satellites
52.9%
3,996 satellites named "Starlink" — a single constellation accounts for more than half of every satellite in the dataset.
Top 5 constellations combined
66.0%
Starlink (3,996) · OneWeb (589) · Dove (Planet) (199) · Lemur (Spire) (135) · Iridium Next (75)
Who's launching
Commercial / non-government
89.7%
6,779 of 7,561 satellites belong to commercial operators rather than militaries or space agencies.
Government & military
782sats
Operated by national space agencies, defense ministries, or armed forces.
Launch sites
Distinct launch sites
0
Pads, ranges, air-launch carriers and sea platforms used across the full timeline.
Top 3 sites combined
NaN%
— three sites account for the vast majority of every satellite ever launched.
Launch site
Satellites
Share
Distribution
Showing top 15 of 0 sites. Source: "Launch Site" column from the UCS Satellite Database.
Countries — inferred from operator name
Top country — United States
67.0%
5,063 of 7,561 satellites trace back to U.S.-based operators — driven largely by SpaceX's Starlink build-out.
Countries represented
25
Distinct nations identified from operator names (excluding ambiguous / multinational).
Country
Satellites
Share
Distribution
United States
5,063
67.0%
Other / unknown
897
11.9%
United Kingdom
620
8.2%
China
486
6.4%
ESA / Europe
65
0.9%
Japan
62
0.8%
Luxembourg
54
0.7%
France
53
0.7%
India
50
0.7%
Russia
41
0.5%
Germany
31
0.4%
Canada
31
0.4%
Spain
15
0.2%
South Korea
15
0.2%
Argentina
14
0.2%
Brazil
13
0.2%
Italy
13
0.2%
Turkey
9
0.1%
Netherlands
6
0.1%
Australia
5
0.1%
UAE
5
0.1%
Vietnam
4
0.1%
Algeria
4
0.1%
Israel
3
0.0%
Sweden
1
0.0%
Indonesia
1
0.0%
Country is not in the source data; it's inferred by matching keywords in each operator's name. ~12% of satellites fall into "Other / unknown" where the operator name doesn't reveal a country.
Launch vehicles
Distinct launch vehicles
0
Unique rocket models used across the full timeline.
Top 3 vehicles combined
NaN%
— three rockets account for the vast majority of every payload in the dataset.
Launch vehicle
Satellites
Share
Distribution
Showing top 15 of 0 vehicles. Source: "Launch Vehicle" column from the UCS Satellite Database.