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The State of Orbit

Q: How many satellites are in orbit right now?

About 34,873 tracked objects orbit Earth as of 24 August 2026, of which roughly 19,312 are satellites (both working and defunct). The rest are spent rocket bodies (about 2,416) and catalogued debris (about 12,476). These figures update daily from the public catalogue.

Q: How many Starlink satellites are there?

About 10,969 Starlink satellites are in orbit as of 24 August 2026 — the largest satellite constellation ever built.

Q: How many people are in space right now?

12 people are currently living in orbit, aboard the International Space Station and China’s Tiangong station. The count changes with each crew rotation.

Every live figure about what is circling Earth right now — from the US Space Command catalogue.

Live now

As of 24 August 2026, around 34,873 tracked objects orbit Earth — 19,312 satellites (working and defunct), 2,416 spent rocket bodies, and 12,476 pieces of tracked debris. Of the satellites, 10,969 are Starlink. 12 people are living in space aboard the ISS and Tiangong, and the satellite catalogue has now reached its highest number, 100,403. Updated 24 August 2026.

34,873

TRACKED OBJECTS IN ORBIT

19,312

SATELLITES

2,416

ROCKET BODIES

12,476

DEBRIS

SATELLITES BY CONSTELLATION

COMMON QUESTIONS

How many satellites are in orbit right now?

Around 34,873 tracked objects orbit Earth, of which roughly 19,312 are satellites (both working and defunct). The rest are spent rocket bodies and debris. The figures on this page update daily from the US Space Command catalogue.

How many Starlink satellites are there?

Around 10,969 Starlink satellites are in orbit — the largest satellite constellation ever built. The live count is shown above.

How many people are in space right now?

Usually between 7 and 13 people are living in orbit, aboard the International Space Station and China's Tiangong station. The live count is shown above.

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