Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Satellites

Of the 465 spacecraft deployed during 2018, 6% (27) were for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) missions. These new PNT satellites were added to existing PNT constellations belonging to five nations and the European Union (EU)/European Space Agency (ESA). PNT satellite deployments in 2018 increased the overall number of dedicated PNT satellites by 22% from 2017. By the end of 2018, 147 PNT satellites orbited the Earth in six constellations.

The Space Report’s data about PNT satellites show shifts in just how active nations were in 2018 with respect to building out or...