Elon Musk's Starlink Dominance: 7,000th Satellite Launched, Controlling Over 62% of Active Satellites

As of September 6, 2024, Elon Musk's Starlink internet satellite constellation has grown to 6,370 active satellites in low-Earth orbit, with several hundred more inactive or deorbited. This marks a significant milestone, with the 7,000th Starlink satellite launched this week, bringing the total to over six-fold in just three years. Starlink now constitutes more than 62% of all active satellites, surpassing its closest rival, OneWeb, by a factor of 10.

Key Takeaways:

• SpaceX has launched 6,370 active Starlink satellites, with several hundred more inactive or deorbited, as of September 6, 2024.
• The Starlink constellation has grown by an average of three satellites per day since its first launch in 2019.
• Starlink now represents just over 62% of all operational satellites in low-Earth orbit.
• SpaceX plans to launch up to 42,000 satellites to complete the Starlink constellation, capable of delivering high-speed internet and phone connectivity to any corner of the globe.
• Starlink currently operates in 102 countries and has more than three million customers paying a monthly fee to access the network through a $300 ground-based dish.
• The company expects to launch its service in dozens more countries, with only Afghanistan, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Syria not on the current waitlist due to internet restrictions or trade embargos.
• People in those countries have still been able to access the network through illegally imported equipment, including activists in Iran who smuggled dozens of Starlink receivers into the country in 2022.
• Elon Musk's control of Starlink has raised concerns about the amount of power the world's richest person wields through its control of SpaceX and the Starlink network.
• After lawmakers in Brazil introduced a ban of the social media platform X, which is also owned by Mr. Musk, Starlink initially made the app available to its customers in the country, however, it has since complied with the blocking order.

Statistics:

• As of September 6, 2024, there are 6,370 active Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit.
• The Starlink constellation has grown by 3 satellites per day, on average, since its first launch in 2019.
• Starlink represents over 62% of all operational satellites in low-Earth orbit.
• SpaceX plans to launch up to 42,000 satellites to complete the Starlink constellation.
• Starlink currently operates in 102 countries and has over 3 million customers paying a monthly fee.
• The company expects to launch its service in dozens more countries, with only Afghanistan, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Syria not on the current waitlist.

Sources:

• CelesTrak: non-profit satellite tracker
• Elon Musk's tweet on X: "Starlink now constitutes roughly 2/3 of all active Earth satellites"
• European Space Agency: visualisation of satellites in Earth's orbit
• Bloomberg: news article about SpaceX's dominance in satellite launches