Home / Satellites and debris by country
Live count
How many satellites and how much debris does INTELSAT have in orbit?
Numbers last changed (orbit data of , catalogue of ). CelesTrak's catalogue records 149 objects in Earth orbit for INTELSAT: 36 active satellites, 64 inactive satellites, 0 rocket bodies and 49 pieces of debris.
What this means
The catalogue records these objects under the owner "International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT)" (code ITSO). That ranks 9th of 106 owners, after India (196) and ahead of ESA (118). Its 49 pieces of debris are 0.4 percent of all catalogued debris in Earth orbit; 36 of them are catalogued under one launch, 2016-053.
The 2-hourly orbit data agrees: 36 active. 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
| Kind | Objects | Share of this owner (percent) | Share of every owner's (percent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active satellites | 36 | 24.2 | 0.2 |
| Inactive satellites | 64 | 43.0 | 2.2 |
| Rocket bodies | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Debris | 49 | 32.9 | 0.4 |
| In Earth orbit | 149 | 100.0 | 0.4 |
Orbits
The largest group of these objects is in the geostationary belt (72). (groups from perigee and apogee.)
| Orbit group | Satellites | Rocket bodies | Debris | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium Earth orbit (2,000 to 35,585 km) | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Geostationary belt (35,586 to 35,986 km) | 53 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| High elliptical (eccentricity 0.25 or more) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Beyond the geostationary belt | 44 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
When they were launched
More of these objects were launched in the 2010s than in any other decade (58, 20 of them satellites). 0 were launched in 2026. The oldest dates from 1965.
| Launch decade | Satellites | Rocket bodies, debris and unknown |
|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8 | 0 |
| 1970s | 15 | 0 |
| 1980s | 13 | 0 |
| 1990s | 19 | 11 |
| 2000s | 17 | 0 |
| 2010s | 20 | 38 |
| 2020s | 8 | 0 |
Largest debris groups
The largest group, from launch 2016-053, has 36 pieces in orbit, 73.5 percent of this owner's debris.
| Launch | Launch date | Pieces in orbit | Most common name | Satellites of that launch in orbit, same owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-053 | 36 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | INTELSAT 33E (IS-33E), INTELSAT 36 (IS-36) | |
| 1998-037 | 11 | INTELSAT 805 DEB | INTELSAT 805 (IS-805) | |
| 2016-004 | 2 | INTELSAT 29E DEB | INTELSAT 29E (IS-29E) |
Notable objects
- Oldest still in orbit: INTELSAT 1-F1 (catalogue number 1317, 1965-028A, satellite), launched .
- Most recent launch: GALAXY 37 (G-37) (catalogue number 57493, 2023-112A, satellite), launched .
- Largest radar cross-section: INTELSAT 701 (IS-701) (catalogue number 22871, 1993-066A, satellite), 517 square metres.
- Highest apogee: INTELSAT 3-F3 (catalogue number 3674, 1969-011A, satellite), 41,570 km at its highest point.
Object details
| Catalogue number | Name | International designator | Status | Launch date | Perigee (km) | Apogee (km) | Inclination (degrees) | Radar cross-section (square metres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57493 | GALAXY 37 (G-37) | 2023-112A | Operational | 35,777 | 35,796 | 0 | - | |
| 56174 | INTELSAT 40E (IS-40E) | 2023-052A | Operational | 35,776 | 35,798 | 0 | - | |
| 54742 | GALAXY 36 (G-36) | 2022-170B | Operational | 35,781 | 35,793 | 0 | - | |
| 54741 | GALAXY 35 (G-35) | 2022-170A | Operational | 35,778 | 35,795 | 0 | - | |
| 54244 | GALAXY 32 (G-32) | 2022-153B | Operational | 35,785 | 35,790 | 0 | - | |
| 54243 | GALAXY 31 (G-31) | 2022-153A | Operational | 35,781 | 35,792 | 0 | - | |
| 54027 | GALAXY 34 (G-34) | 2022-128B | Operational | 35,780 | 35,792 | 0 | - | |
| 54026 | GALAXY 33 (G-33) | 2022-128A | Operational | 35,779 | 35,795 | 0 | - | |
| 44476 | INTELSAT 39 (IS-39) | 2019-049B | Operational | 35,784 | 35,790 | 0 | - | |
| 43633 | HORIZONS-3E | 2018-074B | Operational | 35,784 | 35,790 | 0 | - | |
| 42950 | INTELSAT 37E (IS-37E) | 2017-059A | Operational | 35,775 | 35,799 | 0 | - | |
| 42818 | INTELSAT 35E (IS-35E) | 2017-041A | Operational | 35,779 | 35,796 | 0 | - | |
| 41945 | INTELSAT 32E (IS-32E) | 2017-007B | Operational | 35,787 | 35,787 | - | 14.7 | |
| 41748 | INTELSAT 33E (IS-33E) | 2016-053B | Not operational | 35,695 | 35,901 | 1.9 | 41 | |
| 41747 | INTELSAT 36 (IS-36) | 2016-053A | Operational | 35,778 | 35,796 | 0 | 6.49 | |
| 41581 | INTELSAT 31 (IS-31) | 2016-035A | Operational | 35,776 | 35,793 | 0 | 7.89 | |
| 41308 | INTELSAT 29E (IS-29E) | 2016-004A | Not operational | 35,674 | 35,709 | 6.8 | 12.8 | |
| 40874 | INTELSAT 34 (IS-34) | 2015-039A | Operational | 35,785 | 35,788 | 0 | 16.6 | |
| 40271 | INTELSAT 30 (IS-30) | 2014-062A | Operational | 35,782 | 35,794 | 0 | 316 | |
| 38867 | INTELSAT 23 (IS-23) | 2012-057A | Operational | 35,778 | 35,796 | 0 | 113 | |
| 38749 | INTELSAT 21 (IS-21) | 2012-045A | Operational | 35,779 | 35,796 | 0 | 52.4 | |
| 38740 | INTELSAT 20 (IS-20) | 2012-043A | Operational | 35,781 | 35,792 | 0 | 1.23 | |
| 38356 | INTELSAT 19 (IS-19) | 2012-030A | Operational | 35,775 | 35,800 | 0 | 15.8 | |
| 38098 | INTELSAT 22 (IS-22) | 2012-011A | Operational | 35,780 | 35,794 | 0 | 0.003 | |
| 37834 | INTELSAT 18 (IS-18) | 2011-056A | Operational | 35,777 | 35,796 | 0 | 37.8 |
| Catalogue number | Name | International designator | Launch date | Perigee (km) | Apogee (km) | Inclination (degrees) | Radar cross-section (square metres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45488 | INTELSAT 29E DEB | 2016-004D | 33,942 | 37,442 | 2.5 | - | |
| 61988 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053E | 35,696 | 36,120 | 2 | - | |
| 61989 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053F | 32,638 | 40,212 | 2.8 | - | |
| 61990 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053G | 35,116 | 35,834 | 1.7 | - | |
| 61991 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053H | 34,812 | 35,784 | 1.9 | - | |
| 61992 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053J | 35,508 | 35,775 | 1.8 | - | |
| 61993 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053K | 35,182 | 35,874 | 1.7 | - | |
| 61994 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053L | 35,616 | 35,824 | 1.8 | - | |
| 61995 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053M | 35,352 | 35,793 | 1.8 | - | |
| 61996 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053N | 35,523 | 35,867 | 1.7 | - | |
| 61997 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053P | 35,032 | 35,797 | 1.9 | - | |
| 61998 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053Q | 35,689 | 35,788 | 1.8 | - | |
| 61999 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053R | 35,584 | 36,560 | 1.8 | - | |
| 62000 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053S | 35,724 | 35,947 | 2 | - | |
| 62001 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053T | 35,574 | 35,996 | 1.7 | - | |
| 62002 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053U | 35,670 | 35,892 | 0.3 | - | |
| 62003 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053V | 35,688 | 35,794 | 1.9 | - | |
| 62004 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053W | 34,283 | 35,992 | 2.8 | - | |
| 62005 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053X | 33,494 | 35,751 | 2 | - | |
| 62723 | INTELSAT 29E DEB | 2016-004E | 33,089 | 38,334 | 5.4 | - | |
| 64394 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053Y | 31,183 | 36,139 | 1.5 | - | |
| 64395 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053Z | 35,631 | 36,189 | 2.6 | - | |
| 64396 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053AA | 35,749 | 36,768 | 1.9 | - | |
| 64397 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053AB | 35,790 | 36,232 | 1.8 | - | |
| 64398 | INTELSAT 33E DEB | 2016-053AC | 35,210 | 35,967 | 1.7 | - |
These tables show 50 of the 149 objects; 61 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 INTELSAT have in orbit?
100 satellites in Earth orbit as of 7 October 2026, 04:04 UTC: 36 active and 64 inactive, as the catalogue records the owner "International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (INTELSAT)".
How much space debris does INTELSAT have?
49 catalogued pieces of debris in Earth orbit, 0.4 percent of all 12,527, the 5th most of any owner. Pieces too small to track are not counted.
What is the oldest object of INTELSAT still in orbit?
INTELSAT 1-F1, catalogue number 1317, launched .
More owners
Nearest in the ranking: Japan (318), India (196), ESA (118), Germany (98). 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.