The state of the space economy, made readable.

Active satellites in orbit
16,242
+3,931 net in the last 12 monthsNet = payloads launched minus payloads deorbited in the trailing 12 months. Source: GCAT.
Source: CelesTrakUpdated just now
Explore satellites →
Active launch providers
22
+7 vs same date last yearAn active launch provider is any company or agency that has successfully reached orbit at least once in the last 12 months. Source: Launch Library 2.
Source: Launch Library 2Updated just now
Explore launch providers →

Recently launchedLaunches appear here within hours via Launch Library 2. The satellite operator, count, and mass are firmed up from GCAT — more precise, but cataloged a few days later.

The latest orbital launches, newest first — who flew, and whose satellites went up.

Jul 25
🇺🇸Starlink (SpaceX)
via 🇺🇸SpaceX on Falcon 9awaiting catalog · count & mass pending
Jul 24
Ship 40
via 🇺🇸SpaceX on Starship V3 · 120.0 t
Jul 23
Tianlian 2-06
via 🇨🇳CASC (China) on Long March 3B · 5.0 t
Jul 23
Xiguang
via 🇨🇳Zhongke TJ (China) on Lijian-1 · 0.8 t
Jul 22
9 satellites
via 🇨🇳Orienspace Technology on Gravity-1awaiting catalog · count & mass pending
Jul 22
Dongpo/ZDG-3
via DFK on Yinli-1 · 0.8 t
Jul 21
🇺🇸Starlink (SpaceX)
via 🇺🇸SpaceX on Falcon 9 · 13.8 t
Jul 21
MRV/MEV
via 🇺🇸SpaceX on Falcon 9 · 4.5 t
Jul 19
Rassvet-3 G2
via 🇷🇺Roscosmos on Soyuz-2-1B · 5.9 t
Jul 18
Demo Flight
via Skyroot Aerospace on Vikram-Iawaiting catalog · count & mass pending
Jul 18
Solaras-S3/SCOPE
via SKYRT on Vikram-1 · 0.0 t
Jul 16
Tranche 1 TL-E
via 🇺🇸SpaceX on Falcon 9 · 15.0 t

Satellite operators

What's in orbit and who owns it.

Satellite operators trackedCounts distinct satellite operator fleets identified by naming patterns in the CelesTrak catalog. Smaller fleets and government satellites may not be counted individually.
85
Source: CelesTrak
Read more →
Deorbits · last 12 months
906
Source: J. McDowell's GCAT
Read more →
Fleet age profile
Average age of each operator's active fleet
Constellation buildout progress
How far each planned constellation has deployed
FCC milestone burn rate
How operators are tracking vs license deadlines

Launches

Who's flying what, and how often.

Launches YTD
183
Source: Launch Library 2
Read more →
Mass to orbit YTD
1,805 tonnes
Source: J. McDowell's GCAT
Read more →
Failure rate · last 12 months
3.1%
Source: Launch Library 2
Read more →
Average cargo fill · last 12 months
84.3%
Source: Computed by Open Orbit
Read more →
Cost per kilo to orbit
Estimated $ per kg by rocket family
Launch backlog velocity
Years to clear current manifest at today's cadence
Sovereign launch dependency
Which countries fly their own vs others'
Methodology — how every metric is sourced, defined, and counted.
AI BRIEFThis week in orbitAI-generated · may contain errors

Five successful launches in week 29, including crewed Soyuz and SDA military constellation mission.

The week of July 13–20 saw five orbital launches, all successful. SpaceX flew three Falcon 9 (SpaceX) missions: two Starlink (SpaceX) rideshare batches on July 14, and a Space Development Agency (SDA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer payload on July 16. Roscosmos launched Soyuz MS-29, a crewed vehicle, on July 14. A Vikram-I vehicle achieved its demo flight on July 18 with an unknown operator and payload. All five missions reached orbit without failure.

Citations (7)
  • Launch Library 2 — Starlink Group 15-14
  • Launch Library 2 — Starlink Group 10-45
  • Launch Library 2 — Soyuz MS-29
  • Launch Library 2 — SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E
  • Launch Library 2 — Vikram-I Demo Flight
  • Open Orbit — Active satellites YTD (week 29, 2026)
  • Open Orbit — Launches YTD (week 29, 2026)

This week's brief · updated just now