Home / Satellites and debris by country
Live count
How many satellites and how much debris does Australia have in orbit?
Numbers last changed (orbit data of , catalogue of ). CelesTrak's catalogue records 43 objects in Earth orbit for Australia: 32 active satellites, 9 inactive satellites, 2 rocket bodies and 0 pieces of debris.
What this means
The catalogue records these objects under the owner "Australia" (code AUS). That ranks 21st of 106 owners, after Türkiye (44) and ahead of Taiwan (35). No debris in Earth orbit is recorded under this owner.
The 2-hourly orbit data agrees: 32 active.
By kind
| Kind | Objects | Share of this owner (percent) | Share of every owner's (percent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active satellites | 32 | 74.4 | 0.2 |
| Inactive satellites | 9 | 20.9 | 0.3 |
| Rocket bodies | 2 | 4.7 | 0.1 |
| Debris | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| In Earth orbit | 43 | 100.0 | 0.1 |
Orbits
The largest group of these objects is in low Earth orbit (28). (groups from perigee and apogee.)
| Orbit group | Satellites | Rocket bodies | Debris | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Earth orbit (below 2,000 km) | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Geostationary belt (35,586 to 35,986 km) | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| High elliptical (eccentricity 0.25 or more) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Beyond the geostationary belt | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
When they were launched
More of these objects were launched in the 2020s than in any other decade (24, 24 of them satellites). 1 was launched in 2026. The oldest dates from 1970.
| Launch decade | Satellites | Rocket bodies, debris and unknown |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1 | 0 |
| 1980s | 3 | 0 |
| 1990s | 3 | 2 |
| 2000s | 5 | 0 |
| 2010s | 5 | 0 |
| 2020s | 24 | 0 |
Notable objects
- Oldest still in orbit: OSCAR 5 (AO-5) (catalogue number 4321, 1970-008B, satellite), launched .
- Most recent launch: CENTAURI-9 (catalogue number 69924, 2026-156BH, satellite), launched .
- Largest radar cross-section: OPTUS 10 (catalogue number 40146, 2014-054A, satellite), 51.6 square metres.
- Highest apogee: OPTUS B3 PKM (catalogue number 23229, 1994-055C, rocket body), 37,744 km at its highest point.
Object details
| Catalogue number | Name | International designator | Kind | Status | Launch date | Perigee (km) | Apogee (km) | Inclination (degrees) | Radar cross-section (square metres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69924 | CENTAURI-9 | 2026-156BH | Satellite | Operational | 586 | 596 | 97.7 | - | |
| 65227 | SKYKRAFT-4E | 2025-154L | Satellite | Operational | 566 | 573 | 97.7 | - | |
| 64898 | SKYKRAFT-4D | 2025-154K | Satellite | Operational | 573 | 578 | 97.7 | - | |
| 64897 | SKYCRAFT-4A | 2025-154J | Satellite | Operational | 572 | 577 | 97.7 | - | |
| 64896 | SKYCRAFT-4C | 2025-154H | Satellite | Operational | 577 | 583 | 97.7 | - | |
| 64872 | SKYCRAFT-4B | 2025-154D | Satellite | Operational | 568 | 574 | 97.7 | - | |
| 64691 | LYRA-4 | 2025-140A | Satellite | Operational | 644 | 661 | 96 | - | |
| 64577 | LYRA-3 | 2025-135BB | Satellite | Operational | 632 | 660 | 97.8 | - | |
| 64539 | ELARASAT MMS-1 | 2025-135M | Satellite | Operational | 492 | 498 | 97.5 | - | |
| 63245 | BUCCANEER MM | 2025-052AM | Satellite | Operational | 580 | 584 | 97.7 | - | |
| 62714 | CENTAURI-8 | 2025-009DK | Satellite | Operational | 570 | 574 | 97.7 | - | |
| 62708 | CENTAURI-7 | 2025-009DD | Satellite | Operational | 571 | 573 | 97.7 | - | |
| 62664 | LYRA-1 | 2025-009BH | Satellite | Operational | 498 | 511 | 97.4 | - | |
| 62006 | OPTUS-X (ADS-01) | 2024-212A | Satellite | Operational | 35,775 | 35,798 | 0 | - | |
| 60556 | KANYINI | 2024-149CS | Satellite | Operational | 380 | 383 | 97.4 | - | |
| 60527 | CUAVA-2 | 2024-149BM | Satellite | Operational | 447 | 454 | 97.4 | - | |
| 60469 | WARATAH SEED-1 | 2024-149B | Satellite | Operational | 449 | 452 | 97.4 | - | |
| 59451 | CENTAURI-6 | 2024-066K | Satellite | Operational | 545 | 548 | 45.6 | - | |
| 55061 | SKYKRAFT-1C | 2023-001BE | Satellite | Operational | 481 | 497 | 97.3 | - | |
| 55054 | SKYKRAFT-1A | 2023-001AX | Satellite | Operational | 468 | 483 | 97.3 | - | |
| 55045 | CONTINUUM-1 | 2023-001AN | Satellite | Operational | 459 | 471 | 97.3 | - | |
| 55041 | SKYKRAFT-1 | 2023-001AJ | Satellite | Operational | 327 | 328 | 97.3 | - | |
| 48892 | TYVAK-0173 | 2021-059P | Satellite | Operational | 616 | 629 | 96 | - | |
| 45727 | M2 PATHFINDER | 2020-037E | Satellite | Operational | 543 | 560 | 97.8 | - | |
| 43809 | CENTAURI-1 | 2018-099BD | Satellite | Operational | 506 | 523 | 97.4 | - | |
| 43779 | RAAF M1 | 2018-099X | Satellite | Not operational | 533 | 551 | 97.4 | - | |
| 41794 | SKY MUSTER 2 (NBN1B) | 2016-060B | Satellite | Operational | 35,780 | 35,793 | 0 | 0.003 | |
| 40940 | SKY MUSTER 1 (NBN1A) | 2015-054A | Satellite | Operational | 35,779 | 35,794 | 0 | 51.6 | |
| 40146 | OPTUS 10 | 2014-054A | Satellite | Operational | 35,778 | 35,796 | 0.1 | 51.6 | |
| 35756 | OPTUS D3 | 2009-044B | Satellite | Operational | 35,769 | 35,805 | 0.8 | 6.31 | |
| 32252 | OPTUS D2 | 2007-044A | Satellite | Not operational | 36,036 | 36,060 | 2.4 | 7.96 | |
| 29495 | OPTUS D1 | 2006-043B | Satellite | Operational | 35,771 | 35,802 | 3.3 | 3.98 | |
| 27831 | OPTUS C1 | 2003-028B | Satellite | Operational | 35,764 | 35,810 | 7.2 | 25.1 | |
| 27598 | FEDSAT | 2002-056B | Satellite | None recorded | 786 | 799 | 98.9 | 0.261 | |
| 25398 | WESTPAC | 1998-043E | Satellite | Operational | 815 | 815 | 99 | 0.165 | |
| 23229 | OPTUS B3 PKM | 1994-055C | Rocket body | - | 389 | 37,744 | 24.1 | 6.32 | |
| 23227 | OPTUS B3 | 1994-055A | Satellite | Not operational | 36,226 | 36,243 | 12.5 | 26.4 | |
| 22089 | OPTUS B1 R/B(STAR 63F) | 1992-054C | Rocket body | - | 394 | 36,103 | 22.7 | 6.54 | |
| 22087 | OPTUS B1 (AUSSAT B1) | 1992-054A | Satellite | Not operational | 36,048 | 36,129 | 13.1 | 25.1 | |
| 18350 | OPTUS A3 (AUSSAT 3) | 1987-078A | Satellite | Not operational | 36,155 | 36,193 | 14.4 | 15.8 | |
| 16275 | OPTUS A2 (AUSSAT 2) | 1985-109C | Satellite | None recorded | 35,855 | 35,900 | 13.3 | 0.794 | |
| 15993 | OPTUS A1 (AUSSAT 1) | 1985-076B | Satellite | None recorded | 35,918 | 35,943 | 13.2 | 1 | |
| 4321 | OSCAR 5 (AO-5) | 1970-008B | Satellite | Not operational | 1,433 | 1,477 | 101.3 | 0.333 |
That is all 43 of them. A dash: no value in the catalogue.
Questions
How many satellites does Australia have in orbit?
41 satellites in Earth orbit as of 7 October 2026, 04:04 UTC: 32 active and 9 inactive, as the catalogue records the owner "Australia".
How much space debris does Australia have?
None in the catalogue: no piece of debris in Earth orbit is recorded under "Australia", though 2 rocket bodies are.
How many objects of Australia re-entered in the last year?
4 in the 365 days to 7 October 2026, of 30 that have re-entered since the first launch. 1 launched in those 365 days is still in orbit.
More owners
Nearest in the ranking: EUTELSAT (62), Türkiye (44), Taiwan (35), Sea Launch (34). Every owner, searchable; active satellites only: satellites by country and the satellite count.
Sources
CelesTrak SATCAT, CelesTrak SATCAT format, CelesTrak SATCAT source codes, CelesTrak SATCAT status codes, CelesTrak current GP data (the active list), NASA Orbital Debris Program Office, frequently asked questions.