As of January 2, 2026, the latest available data on active satellites in orbit comes from astronomer Jonathan McDowell's comprehensive tracking. There are approximately 14,300 active satellites (payloads capable of performing their intended functions, excluding debris or defunct objects).
These are distributed by orbital altitude as follows (note: altitude ranges are approximate based on standard classifications, with LEO subdivided into lower and upper segments for granularity):
Orbital RegimeApproximate Altitude RangeNumber of Active SatellitesNotes/Examples|
| Lower Low Earth Orbit (Lower LEO) | 80–600 km | 12,211 | Dominated by mega-constellations like Starlink (9,382 satellites here); includes many communications and Earth observation sats. | | Upper Low Earth Orbit (Upper LEO) | 600–2,000 km | 1,124 | Includes various imaging, scientific, and some navigation satellites. | | Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) | 2,000–35,000 km | 268 | Primarily navigation constellations like GPS, Galileo, and BeiDou. | | Geosynchronous/Geostationary Orbit (GEO) | ~35,786 km | 571 | Mostly communications and weather satellites in fixed positions relative to Earth. | | Very High Earth Orbit (VHEO) and Other High/Elliptical Orbits | >35,786 km | 21 | Includes deep space probes in Earth orbit, highly elliptical orbits, and miscellaneous high-altitude assets. | | Other/Miscellaneous (e.g., undefined or subsynchronous) | Varies | ~105 | Minor categories, such as objects not fitting standard regimes or in transitional states.
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