FAQ

How many satellites are in orbit?

Over 10,000 active satellites orbit Earth as of 2024, with over 5,500 belonging to Starlink alone. Including debris, there are over 35,000 tracked objects larger than 10 cm.

What is the farthest satellite?

Voyager 1 at over 24 billion km from Earth, now in interstellar space. It takes over 22 hours for its radio signals to reach Earth. It has been traveling for 47 years.

How does GPS work?

31 GPS satellites broadcast their position and time. A receiver calculates its position by comparing signals from at least 4 satellites. The system is accurate to within 1.5 m.

What happens to dead satellites?

Most burn up in the atmosphere. Those in higher orbits remain for decades or centuries. The ISS will be deliberately deorbited around 2030. Space debris is a growing problem with millions of fragments in orbit.