2003
Tracked objects in orbit, in thousands, 1957-2024
Data on orbiting objects, called “the catalog” by the Defense Department, includes all 31,620 objects larger than a basketball that orbit Earth at speeds nearing 18,000 mph.10 The goal is to prevent disastrous high-speed collisions that can spread debris like killer confetti.
Cumulative nations to reach space, 1957-2024
The pace of nations reaching space has increased rapidly over the past two decades, but the number of active nations has stayed largely consistent over the past four years.
New nations in space, 1957-2024
SmallSats are allowing more nations to reach space for the first time, but their short lifespan means that there has also been an increase in the number of nations leaving orbit over the past years. By the end of 2024, 92 nations were active in space.
Humans reaching space, 2000-2024
By Sept. 15, 70 people had flown their first mission to space aboard private sector flights, including 15 since January, according to Space Foundation records. Private-sector astronauts account for nearly 12 percent of all humans to fly to space.
Launch failures by number of satellites lost, 2003-2023
In 2023, launch failures resulted in the loss of 31 satellites, an increase of 48% from 2022.
Cumulative spacecraft on orbit, 1957-2023
Federal agencies in 2014 estimated by 2022 as many as 43 commercial satellites a year would head to orbit. Instead, more than 50 times . . .
Space insurance industry estimates, 2003-2022
As satellites get smaller and cheaper and companies pivot to building LEO constellations rather than purchasing single large satellites for GEO orbit, many operators are foregoing insurance after launch altogether.
NASA share of U.S. federal budget, 1959-2025
The overall Pentagon budget proposal for 2025 is $850 billion, $8 billion more than its 2024 request.
Cumulative human spaceflight, 1961–March 18, 2024
Human spaceflight activity is off to a rapid pace in 2024 with a private Axiom mission, a public ISS mission, and a private Virgin Galactic mission taking flight in the first nine weeks of the year.
Satellites lost by launch operator country and type, 2003-2023
Despite the rising number of lost payloads, satellite operators are getting better at mitigating the harm done to their mission by a launch failure.