Ten Thousand active satellites now orbiting Earth

Ten Thousand active satellites now orbiting Earth
by Erica Marchand
Paris, France (SPX) Jun 27, 2024

Look Up Space has reported a significant milestone in space history with over 10,000 active satellites now in orbit. As of June 19, 2024, the company counted 10,019 active satellites, with two-thirds (6,646) belonging to Starlink, SpaceX's satellite constellation founded by Elon Musk. Most of these satellites (9,254) are situated in low-Earth orbits, primarily between 400 and 1,200 kilometers from the Earth.

Look Up Space also tracks nearly 3,200 rocket stages and 13,326 pieces of debris orbiting the Earth. However, this represents only a small fraction of the total debris, which is estimated to be close to a million pieces measuring a centimeter or more.

Using its SYNAPSE data fusion platform with advanced algorithms, Look Up Space detects almost a thousand collision risks daily with a probability greater than one in a million, and between 50 and 100 risks with a probability greater than one in 100,000. These statistics highlight the frequent and real risk of collisions in space.

"Even if the comparison is debatable, the probability of one of these collisions occurring is much greater than that of winning the lottery jackpot," explains Michel Friedling, former space commander and co-founder and CEO of Look Up Space.

"These risks make space increasingly vulnerable, posing the question not if a major collision will occur, but when and who will be the victim," says Juan Carlos Dolado, co-founder and CTO of Look Up Space, and member of the International Academy of Astronautics.

Look Up Space is dedicated to making space safe and sustainable through its worldwide network of radars to detect and track objects in Earth orbit. The company, founded in 2022 by Michel Friedling and Juan Carlos Dolado, provides real-time mapping of debris to satellite operators and governments to avoid collisions. With nearly a million pieces of debris currently floating in low-Earth orbit, where 10,000 active satellites now operate, Look Up Space is developing a network of radars across the planet to ensure reliable and precise 24-hour surveillance.

General Michel Friedling, who led the French Space Command until July 2022, has been pivotal in developing French defense space strategy. He authored "Commandant de l'Espace, enjeux, menaces et defis de la nouvelle ere spatiale" (Space Commander, issues, threats and challenges of the new space age), published in 2023.

Juan Carlos Dolado, former head of the Space Surveillance Department of the French Space Agency (CNES), is a leading expert on orbital debris. A Fellow of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and member of the IAA Space Debris Committee, Dolado has published over fifty scientific papers and contributed to numerous reference works in the field of space debris monitoring and tracking.