Infrastructure
Satellites
2018 Communications Satellites Breakdown by Mission Segment
The majority of communications satellites deployed in 2018, ##% (##), were for... The majority of communications satellites deployed in 2018, 66% (85), were for commercial purposes (or “missions”). Civil government…
2017 – Satellite Overview
The year 2017 was a significant one for spacecraft, with a record-setting ## satellites deployed. This was a ##% increase from 2016 and easily broke the previous... The year 2017…
2016 – Satellite Overview
Traditional satellite missions, such as Earth observation, communications, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT), continued dominating the global space industry, but other missions are coming forward. Air traffic control and…
2016 – Military Satellites
Military satellites—spacecraft acquired, launched, and operated by a nation’s military forces—share many of the same mission types used in commercial and civilian applications. Communications, remote sensing, positioning, navigation, and timing…
2016 – Satellite Orbits
As in previous years, the most used orbit type is l##. In 2016, ##% of the ### spacecraft launched or deployed around the Earth were inserted into ##. The effective…
2015 – Satellite Overview
Satellites include a wide variety of systems performing an even wider range of missions from their different orbits. In 2015, launch operators attempted to place ### spacecraft into orbit (including…
2015 – U.S. Military Satellites
A military satellite, like its civilian counterpart, can fulfill purposes such as communications or remote sensing. Military satellites also serve unique missions not addressed by civil or commercial services, such…
2015 – Satellite Orbits
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a total of ## satellites were still operational at the end of 2015. These satellites are mostly located in low Earth orbit (LEO)…
2014 – Satellite Overview
Satellites include a wide variety of systems performing an even wider range of missions from their different orbits. In 2014, launch operators attempted to place ## spacecraft into orbit (including…
2010 – U.S. Military Satellites
An unmanned U.S. Air Force space plane, the X-37B, was launched in April 2010 aboard an Atlas V rocket. The X-37B remained in orbit for ## days, testing its capabilities…