# Satalites
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satalites/390667
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 3, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satalites/390667 "2007-02-03T15:31:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jeffr062](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeffr062)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satalites/390667/1 "2007-02-03T15:31:57Z")
How many commercial satalites are orbiting the earth now?
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2007, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satalites/390667/2 "2007-02-03T15:40:00Z")
Currently, about [650](http://www.aero.org/publications/crosslink/winter2000/04.html) operational **satellites** , plus several thousand pieces of space junk with lots more planned.
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### Author:  [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satalites/390667/3 "2007-02-03T15:48:03Z")
[This site](http://www.ucsusa.org/global_security/space_weapons/satellite_database.html) has data available in different formats. I downloaded the satellite data in spreadsheet format, and it shows 844 satellites. This number is all nations, all purposes.
Some satellites are shown as single purpose: civil, military, commercial, government. Some are dual purpose: commercial/military, etc. For purely commercial purposes, the number is 342.
Of course, this data does not reflect the number of satellites placed into orbit by evil, private entities bent on destroying the world, nor does it reflect recently shot down DirecTv satellites.
The info includes launches through 12/27/06.
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### Author:  [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2007, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/satalites/390667/4 "2007-02-03T15:54:33Z")
I missed my edit window. Anyway, no discussion of satellites would be complete without a link to [this nifty satellite tracking page, courtesy of NASA.](http://science.nasa.gov/Realtime/jtrack/3d/JTrack3D.html)