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How many satellites and how much debris does France 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 640 objects in Earth orbit for France: 76 active satellites, 53 inactive satellites, 160 rocket bodies, 350 pieces of debris and 1 unknown object.

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 "France" (code FR). That ranks 5th of 106 owners, after United Kingdom (725) and ahead of Japan (318). Its 350 pieces of debris are 2.8 percent of all catalogued debris in Earth orbit; 83 of them are catalogued under one launch, 1989-006. 6 more objects that have not re-entered are recorded around other bodies (orbit centre SU 6) and are not counted here.

The 2-hourly orbit data of 7 October 2026, 08:20 UTC has 70 active (6 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 high elliptical orbits (445). 5 have no heights in the catalogue. (groups from perigee and apogee.)

When they were launched

More of these objects were launched in the 1980s than in any other decade (204, 6 of them satellites). 8 were launched in 2026. The oldest dates from 1965.

Largest debris groups

The largest group, from launch 1989-006, has 83 pieces in orbit, 23.7 percent of this owner's debris.

Notable objects

• Oldest still in orbit: A-1 (ASTERIX) (catalogue number 1778, 1965-096A, satellite), launched 26 November 1965.
• Most recent launch: BRO-31 (catalogue number 69896, 2026-156AD, satellite), launched 7 July 2026.
• Largest radar cross-section: ARIANE 5 R/B (catalogue number 29646, 2006-054D, rocket body), 43.9 square metres.
• Highest apogee: ARIANE 5 R/B (catalogue number 25990, 1999-066B, rocket body), 93,033 km at its highest point.

Object details

These tables show 50 of the 640 objects; 145 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 France have in orbit?

129 satellites in Earth orbit as of 7 October 2026, 04:04 UTC: 76 active and 53 inactive, as the catalogue records the owner "France".

How much space debris does France have?

350 catalogued pieces of debris in Earth orbit, 2.8 percent of all 12,527, the 4th most of any owner, plus 160 rocket bodies. Pieces too small to track are not counted.

How many objects of France re-entered in the last year?

13 in the 365 days to 7 October 2026, of 839 that have re-entered since the first launch. 11 launched in those 365 days are still in orbit.

More owners

Nearest in the ranking: China (6,150), United Kingdom (725), Japan (318), India (196). 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.