List of Satellites & their Orbits (2024-02-11)

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There are half a dozen companies who operate satellites and provide Internet to rural communities where no fiber internet can reach.

Some Interesting (Consumer Internet) Satellites

No. Company Name Description Number of Operational Satellites Orbit Type Altitude Notes
1 HughesNet (SATS) Major internet service provider in the US, known for its satellite broadband service HughesNet. 3 geosynchronous 22k mi
(36k km)		 Latest satellite - JUPITER 3 - orbital position is 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above the equator at 95 degrees west
2 EchoStar Lyra (SATS) Global S-band mobile satellite service not launched planned: 28 LEO n/a
3 Telesat (TSAT) Canadian satellite communications company that offers TV signals and internet services, including to rural areas. 13 GEO + 198 LEO both 620 mi (1,000 km)
4 Amazon (Project Kuiper) Amazon’s initiative to provide broadband to underserved communities via a large constellation of LEO satellites. 0 (planned: 3,236) LEO 630 km (390 mi) :hourglass:
5 SES SA Global satellite operator offering video and data connectivity worldwide with a fleet of GEO and MEO satellites. 70 GEO 36k km, 2k km, 8k km x
6 Eutelsat/OneWeb Joint venture combining GEO and LEO satellite constellations for global satellite-based connectivity services. 648 12 near polar orbit planes at 86.4° orbital inclination at 1,200 km (750 mi) xx
7 Intelsat Provides broadband internet, video broadcasting, and mobile satellite services globally with a fleet of GEO satellites. 52 GEO 22k mi (36k km) x
8 Iridium Operates a fleet of 66 LEO satellites providing voice and data services worldwide, focusing on various sectors including government and public safety. 66 LEO 485 mi (780 km)
9 Freedomsat Offers internet services in the UK and other regions, focusing on connectivity to rural and remote areas. 13
10 Geospace Potential competitor in the satellite internet service market, with plans to provide internet service to a significant population. 240 LEO ? Geespace - China - space internet for 1.5bn people
11 Globalstar Provides mobile satellite voice and data services globally, crucial for remote areas lacking traditional communication infrastructure. 48 LEO 1,414km (876 miles) eight orbital planes of six satellites each, inclined at 52° to provide service on Earth from 70° North latitude to 70° South latitude

HughesNet:

  • JUPITER 1 (EchoStar XVII): Launched in July 2012, covers parts of North America, and provides capacity for consumer and small business internet services.
  • JUPITER 2 (EchoStar XIX): Launched in October 2017, covers additional areas of North America compared to JUPITER 1 and offers similar services.
  • JUPITER 3 (EchoStar XXIV): Launched in July 2023, boasts the highest capacity in the HughesNet fleet and targets underserved regions in North and South America.

Other Facts

From Satellite article on Wikipedia

As of December 31st 2022, there are 6,718 operational satellites in the Earth’s orbit, of which 4,529 belong to the United States (3,996 commercial), 590 belong to China, 174 belong to Russia, and 1,425 belong to other nations.[1]

The number quoted above must be off by orders of magnitude since we know that Starlink has launched hundreds of satellites since December 31st, 2022.

Top 15 satellites with lowest Perigee

  1. Name of Satellite, Alternate Names – Perigee (km)
  2. USA 316 (NROL 111 USA 316) – 150
  3. USA 317 (NROL USA 317) – 150
  4. USA 318 (NROL USA 18) – 150
  5. Tianhe – 170
  6. Turksat 5B – 198
  7. Keyhole 6 (NRO L49, Advanced KH-11, KH-12-6, Improved Crystal, USA 224) – 200
  8. TDO – 216
  9. SPIRALE-A (Système Préparatoire Infra-Rouge pour l’Alerte) – 240
  10. Gaofen 11 – 241
  11. Gaofen 11-03 – 243
  12. Gaofen 11-02 – 244
  13. Lotos-S1 804 (Cosmos 2528) – 244
  14. Keyhole 7 (NRO L65, Advanced KH-11, Improved Crystal, USA 245) – 257
  15. Starlink-2521 – 258
  16. Starlink-2615 – 258