Assembled by experts at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), the Satellite Database is a listing of the more than 1000 operational satellites currently in orbit around Earth.
Our intent in producing the database is to create a research tool for specialists and non-specialists alike by collecting open-source information on operational satellites and presenting it in a format that can be easily manipulated for research and analysis.
It is available as both a downloadable Excel file and in a tab-delimited text format. A version is also provided in which the "Name" column contains only the official name of the satellite in the case of government and military satellites, and the most commonly used name in the case of commercial and civil satellites.
Satellite Quick Facts (includes launches through 8/31/15) Total number of operating satellites: 1,305 United States: 549 Russia: 131 China: 142 Other: 483 LEO: 696 MEO: 87 Elliptical: 41 GEO: 481 Total number of U.S. satellites: 549 Civil: 21 Commercial: 250 Government: 126 Military: 152
The database is updated roughly quarterly (subscribe in the sidebar to the right). The database contains 26 types of data for each satellite, including technical information about each satellite (mass, power, launch date, expected lifetime) and its orbit (apogee, perigee, inclination, and period), as well as information on what the satellite is used for, and who owns, operates, and built the satellite.
Hello Guest, if you're reading this, it means you have not yet registered. Please take a moment to Click here to register and in a few simple steps, you will be able to enjoy all the many features of our fine community. Please note that lewd nicknames are prohibited (no numbers or letters at random) and introduce yourself in the welcome section for you to meet our community.
