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How many satellites and how much debris does the European Space Agency have in orbit?

Numbers last changed 7 October 2026, 08:20 UTC (orbit data of 7 Oct, 08:20 UTC, catalogue of 7 Oct, 04:04 UTC). CelesTrak's catalogue records 118 objects in Earth orbit for the European Space Agency: 69 active satellites, 30 inactive satellites, 8 rocket bodies and 11 pieces of debris.

CelesTrak updates the catalogue about once a day and the orbit data about every 2 hours; the times are in the line above.

What this means

The catalogue records these objects under the owner "European Space Agency" (code ESA). That ranks 10th of 106 owners, after INTELSAT (149) and ahead of Germany (98). Its 11 pieces of debris are 0.1 percent of all catalogued debris in Earth orbit; 4 of them are catalogued under one launch, 1995-021. 15 more objects that have not re-entered are recorded around other bodies (orbit centre EL1 2, EL2 2, MA 1, SU 9, VE 1) and are not counted here.

The 2-hourly orbit data of 7 October 2026, 08:20 UTC has 68 active (1 fewer; why they differ). Across the catalogue, 93.4 percent of the 12,527 pieces of debris in Earth orbit carry the owner of a satellite from the same launch; 826 do not; the owner does not say who or what broke a piece off (what the owner of debris means).

By kind

Orbits

The largest group of these objects is in low Earth orbit (44). (groups from perigee and apogee.)

When they were launched

More of these objects were launched in the 2010s than in any other decade (42, 41 of them satellites). 9 were launched in 2026. The oldest dates from 1977.

Largest debris groups

The largest group, from launch 1995-021, has 4 pieces in orbit, 36.4 percent of this owner's debris.

Notable objects

• Oldest still in orbit: GEOS-1 (catalogue number 9931, 1977-029A, satellite), launched 20 April 1977.
• Most recent launch: VEGA C DEB [VESPA] (catalogue number 100691, 2026-209C, debris), launched 15 September 2026.
• Largest radar cross-section: MAQSAT B (catalogue number 25024, 1997-066B, satellite), 31.7 square metres.
• Highest apogee: INTEGRAL (catalogue number 27540, 2002-048A, satellite), 145,790 km at its highest point.

Object details

These tables show 36 of the 118 objects; 44 have no radar cross-section and come last in the size order. A dash: no value in the catalogue. The button below (it needs JavaScript) loads the full list of this data version as a table to filter and page through.

Questions

How many satellites does the European Space Agency have in orbit?

99 satellites in Earth orbit as of 7 October 2026, 04:04 UTC: 69 active and 30 inactive, as the catalogue records the owner "European Space Agency".

How much space debris does the European Space Agency have?

11 catalogued pieces of debris in Earth orbit, 0.1 percent of all 12,527, the 8th most of any owner, plus 8 rocket bodies. Pieces too small to track are not counted.

How many objects of the European Space Agency re-entered in the last year?

4 in the 365 days to 7 October 2026, of 51 that have re-entered since the first launch. 15 launched in those 365 days are still in orbit.

More owners

Nearest in the ranking: India (196), INTELSAT (149), Germany (98), Italy (95). 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.