Earth Observation/Remote Sensing Satellites

2018 – EO/RS Meteorology – Snapshot

In 1900, a hurricane defied U.S. Weather Service predictions and destroyed Galveston, Texas. The highest part of the island on which the city rests is about 2.75 meters (9 feet)…

2018 – EO/RS Satellite Manufacturers – Snapshot

Three manufacturers accounted for 47% (83) of all EO/RS satellites deployed in 2018: Planet, Spire Global, and the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). Planet and Spire also operate the…

2018 – EO/RS Satellite Operators – Snapshot

The countries with spacecraft operators operating the most EO/RS satellites deployed in 2018 were in the U.S. and China. Combined, operators from these two countries accounted for 42% (73) of…

2018 – EO/RS Satellites Payload Type Breakdown – Snapshot

Optical payloads constituted the largest share of the payloads of the 176 EO/RS satellites deployed during 2018, 82% (144); they were deployed primarily to collect images of Earth’s surface and…

2018 – EO/RS Satellites Mission Segment Breakdown – Snapshot

Of the 176 EO/RS satellites deployed in 2018, a majority, 56% (98), were deployed for commercial purposes. The 98 satellites are a decline from the number of commercial EO/RS satellites…

Infrastructure: Space Infrastructure

Introduction | Space infrastructure, like its terrestrial counterpart, is an invisible backbone for services used by people all over the world. Like terrestrial infrastructure, space infrastructure is increasingly relied upon…

2017 – Military Satellites – Snapshot

National security drives national efforts to acquire and operate military satellites. While there some exceptions, most military satellites have very similar capabilities as their commercial counterparts, but hardening, extreme reliability,…

2017 – Surface Imaging – Snapshot

Surface imaging satellites observe, monitor, and track changes and developments on the Earth’s surface using a variety of optical or electronic imaging capabilities. Earth observation (EO) satellites deployed in 2017…

2017 – Meteorology – Snapshot

Only three satellites with a dedicated meteorological focus were deployed during 2017—less than 1% of 443 spacecraft deployed during that year. It was also a drop from the number of…

2017 – Earth Observation and Remote Sensing – Snapshot

Earth observation (EO) and remote sensing (RS) continued to be the dominant mission type among spacecraft deployed in 2017. Of 443 spacecraft deployed during the year, 232 (52%) were for…