An artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, deliberately placed into orbit around a celestial body, used for purposes including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation, broadcasting, scientific research and Earth observation. The idea was explored in fiction well before it was realized, notably in Edward Everett Hale's 1869 short story The Brick Moon, and the Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky's 1903 treatise Exploring Space Using Jet Propulsion Devices was the first academic study of using rocketry to place an object in orbit. The Soviet Union launched the first actual artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into Earth orbit on October 4, 1957, opening the Space Age and leading within a generation to the thousands of communication, navigation, scientific and Earth-observation satellites now in orbit.
Facts
SignificanceSputnik 1's October 1957 launch proved orbital spaceflight was achievable and opened the space age; by mid-2025 the population it started had grown to nearly 13,000 satellites in Earth orbit. 1 Artificial Satellite
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FAQs
How many artificial satellites are in orbit around Earth?
As of June 28, 2025, there were 12,952 satellites in Earth's orbit.
As of June 28, 2025, there were 12,952 satellites in Earth's orbit. Of those, 8,530 belonged to the United States, 1,559 to Russia and 908 to China. The figure is a snapshot, since it is dated to that day.
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Source Valerie Thomas (ETHW)
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Source Satellite (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Sources
1. Satellite (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationLead section, Sputnik 1 launch sentence
The first artificial satellite launched into the Earth's orbit was the Soviet Union's Sputnik 1, on October 4, 1957.
Lead section, satellite count sentence
As of June 28, 2025, there are 12,952 satellites in the Earth's orbit, of which 8,530 belong to the United States, 1,559 to Russia, and 908 to China.
In Field: Aerospace Engineering, Categories
Spacecraft
View the Source Valerie Thomas (ETHW)
Associated With: Valerie Thomas, Biography, first paragraphQuote, Associated With: Valerie Thomas, Biography, first paragraph
the first satellite to send images from outer space
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