Two in three working satellites are now Starlinks
Active satellites in orbit by type, 26 October 2026, from Jonathan McDowell's tracking data.
Active Starlink satellites in orbit on 26 Oct 2026, 65% of all 17,098 working satellites.
One company runs nearly twice as many satellites as every other operator on Earth combined.
Working satellites rose from 10,036 in July 2024 to 17,098 in Oct 2026.
the numbers
| Satellites | Share (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Starlink (SpaceX) | 11,148 | 65.2 |
| Other maneuverable satellites | 3,669 | 21.5 |
| Non-maneuverable satellites | 2,281 | 13.3 |
source notes & method
Snapshot, not a time series: McDowell's annual data files could not be fetched, so the year-by-year Starlink vs others trend is not shown. 'Other' splits into other active maneuverable payloads (3,669) and active non-maneuverable payloads (2,281). Shares and ratios are progrss calculations. July 2024 total (10,036) is McDowell via Forbes/N2YO; Starlink passed 10,000 active satellites on 17 Mar 2026 (McDowell via Washington Times).
Published 1 Nov 2026
one plate, every morning
The new world, explained in one chart, in your inbox at 7:00, your time. Free.
or follow via rss, the "rss" in progrss