Live count
How many satellites does the United Kingdom have?
As of 4 October 2026, 14:19 UTC, the catalogue records 697 active satellites for the United Kingdom, 4.2 percent of the catalogue's active satellites.
See also: all owners ranked, United States, China, CIS (former USSR), Japan.
What makes up this fleet
Recorded as "United Kingdom", the 3rd largest fleet among 99 owners.
Name families
Our own grouping by the run of two or more letters that starts each catalogue name ("DMC3" counts as DMC); where the catalogue uses more than one prefix for a fleet, we do not merge them. Every one of these satellites has a name family.
| Family | Satellites | Share (percent) | Main orbit group | Most common CelesTrak group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ONEWEB | 651 | 93.4 | Low | Broadband internet |
| AAC | 6 | 0.9 | Low | None recorded |
| SKYNET | 4 | 0.6 | Geostationary | Fewer than 5 satellites |
| AC | 3 | 0.4 | Low | Fewer than 5 satellites |
| DMC | 3 | 0.4 | Low | Fewer than 5 satellites |
| HYLAS | 3 | 0.4 | Geostationary | Fewer than 5 satellites |
| NUVIEW | 2 | 0.3 | Geostationary | Fewer than 5 satellites |
| ORBASTRO | 2 | 0.3 | Low | Fewer than 5 satellites |
| VIREON | 2 | 0.3 | Low | Fewer than 5 satellites |
| ACCENTURE | 1 | 0.1 | Low | Fewer than 5 satellites |
| 20 other families | 20 | 2.9 |
The group is the CelesTrak list a satellite is in, as the collector maps those lists to purposes; a satellite in several lists gets only one of them, so a family's group need not describe its mission.
Orbit groups
The United Kingdom leans towards low Earth orbit: 98.6 percent of its fleet against 95.1 percent of the catalogue. Groups as defined under how these numbers are made.
| Orbit group | Satellites | Share (percent) | Catalogue share (percent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low (below 2,000 km) | 687 | 98.6 | 95.1 |
| Geostationary belt | 9 | 1.3 | 3.4 |
| High elliptical (e 0.25+) | 1 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
None of them is in medium Earth orbit or orbits beyond the geostationary belt.
Map at the data time
Positions at 14:19 UTC are approximate (how). 14 within 1 degree of the equator (5 geostationary) are not placed north or south. Busiest band of the rest: 30 to 60 degrees south, 17.6 percent; 49.2 percent north of the equator. Satellites closer than 0.1 degree share a dot, so the map has 696 dots.
Purposes
The most common recorded purpose is Broadband internet, with 651 satellites, 93.4 percent. After it come Amateur radio (9), Geostationary (9) and Earth observation (7).
| Purpose | Satellites |
|---|---|
| Broadband internet | 651 |
| Unspecified | 20 |
| Amateur radio | 9 |
| Geostationary | 9 |
| Earth observation | 7 |
| Engineering test | 1 |
Launch years
Only 41.2 percent of them were launched in 2022 or later. The launch year with the most of them is 2021, with 282.
| Launch year | Satellites |
|---|---|
| Earlier | 4 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2013 | 3 |
| 2014 | 2 |
| 2015 | 4 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 102 |
| 2021 | 282 |
| 2022 | 110 |
| 2023 | 139 |
| 2024 | 25 |
| 2025 | 7 |
| 2026 | 6 |
Earliest launches among satellites the catalogue lists as active:
| Launch date | Satellites |
|---|---|
| 1 March 1984 | UOSAT 2 (UO-11) |
| 11 March 2007 | SKYNET 5A |
| 14 November 2007 | SKYNET 5B |
How this was counted
697 of the 16,629 satellites on the count page carry the owner "United Kingdom". Full method: how these numbers are made.
Questions
Where does the United Kingdom rank among satellite owners?
3rd. China is ahead with 1,541; the CIS (former USSR) follows with 381.
Which name family is largest among satellites the catalogue records for the United Kingdom?
ONEWEB, with 651, ahead of AAC with 6.
Which orbit group stands out for the United Kingdom?
Low Earth orbit: 98.6 percent of this fleet, catalogue 95.1.
Sources
CelesTrak: active list, SATCAT, owner codes, status codes.