How many Starlink satellites are there?
As of September 2026: 10,715 active Starlink satellites, live — CC-BY, cite as "data: Cosmik"
As of September 2026, 10,715 Starlink satellites are active in orbit — the live count Cosmik computes every hour from the official CelesTrak catalogue, the same data behind our live Starlink tracker. It is by far the largest satellite constellation ever flown. The shell breakdown and launch cadence are below.
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Launched vs active vs deorbited
The 10,715 figure counts Starlink satellites currently operational and tracked. SpaceX has launched well over 8,000 Starlink satellites since the first batch in May 2019, adding 20–60 per Falcon 9; several hundred early or failed units have already been deorbited and burned up on re-entry, which is why the active total sits below the cumulative launched figure. SpaceX plans a constellation of up to 42,000.
Starlink satellites by orbital shell
The constellation is organised into shells at different inclinations (derived live from each satellite's orbit):
| Shell (inclination) | Satellites |
|---|---|
| 53° inclination — the main shells at ~550 km, the bulk of the constellation, covering the world's populated latitudes. | 5,021 |
| 70° inclination — a higher-latitude shell extending coverage toward the poles. | 710 |
| ~97.6° Sun-synchronous / near-polar — the polar-coverage shell. | 1,363 |
| 43° inclination — the lower-inclination Gen2 shells for dense mid-latitude capacity. | 3,621 |
| Total active Starlink | 10,715 |
How fast is Starlink launching?
1,691 currently-active Starlink satellites reached orbit in 2026 so far, after 3,141 in 2025 — SpaceX launches a fresh batch every few days, more than any other operator in history. Each new launch briefly forms the famous Starlink train of lights. Follow every launch on the launch schedule.
Live from the CelesTrak / NORAD general-perturbations catalogue, updated 2026-09-07 10:54 UTC. Refreshed hourly.
Can you see Starlink satellites?
Yes — especially in the days after a launch, when a fresh batch flies in a tight "train" of lights across the twilight sky. Cosmik shows real per-location pass times on the Starlink tracker, and every satellite live on the 3D map.
How this count is measured
This page reads the CelesTrak "starlink" group — the public catalogue of Starlink objects, sourced from US Space Force / NORAD tracking — and counts it live, hourly. Shells come from each satellite's inclination; launch years from its international designator. "Active" means currently tracked and operational, so the figure is lower than the cumulative number ever launched. See the full satellite context on how many satellites are in orbit.
Cite this number
Everything on this page is free to reuse under CC-BY 4.0 — in an article, a paper, a slide or a dataset. Just credit "data: Cosmik (gocosmik.com)" and link back. Numbers refresh hourly, so the citation stays live. Need a custom cut (by country, by year, by constellation) or a machine feed? Write to hi@gocosmik.com.
More live numbers: Satellites in orbit · Launch cost per kg · Space debris count · GPS satellites · Satellites by country · /stats
data: Cosmik (gocosmik.com), CC-BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How many Starlink satellites are there right now?
10,715 Starlink satellites are currently active in orbit (September 2026), a live count refreshed hourly from CelesTrak/NORAD data. It is the largest satellite constellation ever built.
How many Starlink satellites have been launched in total?
SpaceX has launched well over 8,000 Starlink satellites since May 2019. Fewer are active now (10,715) because several hundred early or failed units have already been deorbited. SpaceX is licensed toward a constellation of up to 42,000.
How many Starlink satellites launched in 2026?
At least 1,691 Starlink satellites launched in 2026 are currently active in orbit, after 3,141 in 2025. SpaceX adds a new batch of 20–60 every few days.
Who owns Starlink?
Starlink is owned and operated by SpaceX. With 10,715 active satellites it is by far the largest single satellite operator — more than every other constellation combined.
Explore the live data
Track them live on the Starlink tracker, catch the Starlink train after a launch, see how many satellites are in orbit in total, or watch everything on the live 3D map.
