How many satellites are currently orbiting Earth?

There are currently 31,289 catalogued objects tracked in Earth orbit by Orbital Radar, including 18,624 catalogued payloads, 2,073 rocket bodies, and 9,892 pieces of debris.

What is a NORAD Catalog Number?

A NORAD Catalog Number is a unique identifier assigned to every artificial object in Earth orbit by the United States Space Command. Numbers are assigned sequentially as objects are catalogued.

What is the difference between LEO, MEO, GEO, and HEO orbits?

LEO (Low Earth Orbit) is 160–2,000 km altitude. MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) is 2,000–35,786 km. GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) is exactly 35,786 km. HEO (Highly Elliptical Orbit) has extreme altitude variation.

How much space debris is in orbit?

There are 9,892 catalogued pieces of space debris being tracked. This includes collision fragments, defunct satellites, and spent rocket stages.

Which country has the most satellites?

Orbital Radar tracks satellites from 103 countries. The United States operates the most, followed by China and Russia.

📂 Complete Catalogue Live · updates every few minutes

Yaogan Satellites

161 Yaogan satellites

Live orbital data for every satellite, rocket body and debris fragment — searchable, filterable and comparable. Updated continuously from Orbital Radar's live orbital catalogue.

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Total Tracked

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Payloads

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Debris

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Countries

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Launched 2026

Orbital Radar tracks 161 Yaogan satellites in orbit, part of 31,289 catalogued objects in Earth orbit. The wider Yaogan family also accounts for 76 tracked debris fragments and spent rocket bodies in the catalogue. Every entry below links to a live profile with current position and orbital parameters. Explore the Satellites of China overview · the whole national picture: China in Space.

What do the status labels mean?

Active— payload with a current TLE (updated within 14 days) that is within typical operational life.
Inactive— still tracked, but the elements are ageing or the object is decades old; most likely non-operational.
Tracked— recently tracked rocket body or debris object.

Status is an editorial estimate inferred from each object's latest two-line element set (TLE) and launch epoch — not an official operator declaration. Objects that re-enter are removed from the live catalogue by the tracking network.