28,133
Objects launched
16,940
Payloads
Most recent objects
GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org)| Object | Launched | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon CRS-34 | 2026 May 15 | Payload | Date approximate |
| USA 586 | 2026 May 12 | Payload | Operating |
| USA 587 | 2026 May 12 | Payload | Operating |
| USA 588 | 2026 May 12 | Payload | Operating |
| USA 589 | 2026 May 12 | Payload | Operating |
| USA 590 | 2026 May 12 | Payload | Operating |
| USA 591 | 2026 May 12 | Payload | Operating |
| USA 592 | 2026 May 12 | Payload | Operating |
| USA 593 | 2026 May 12 | Payload | Operating |
| USA 594 | 2026 May 12 | Payload | Operating |
Objects by decade
GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org)1950s29
1960s3,358
1970s3,351
1980s816
1990s2,909
2000s1,536
2010s1,879
2020s14,255
Source: GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org)
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Space objects launched | 28,100 objectsGCAT [2026] |
| First space object | Explorer IGCAT [2026] |
| First launch (year) | 1,958GCAT [2026] |
| Most recent launch (year) | 2,026GCAT [2026] |
| Active satellites | 11,900Celestrak SATCAT [2026] |
| Total tracked objects | 27,900Celestrak SATCAT [2026] |
- 1958-
- 1963 - Project Mercury first manned space flights
- 1961-
- 1963 - Project Gemini (longer-duration manned flights in preparation for Moon landings)
- 1963-
- 1971 - Project Apollo Moon landings (world's first manned landing on the Moon, 1969)
- 1964 - launched first successful Mars probe (Mariner)
- 1965-
- 1979 - operated Skylab space station
- 1977 - began launching Voyager probes to Jupiter, Saturn, and beyond the solar system 1980s-
- 2011 - operated Space Shuttle program (world’s first re-usable space orbiters)
- 1990 - launched Hubble Space Telescope
- 1993 - began participating in International Space Station project
- 2003 - launched surface rover vehicles (Spirit and Opportunity) to Mars
- 2011 - launched orbital probe (Juno) to Jupiter
- 2016 - launched OSIRIS-REx mission to retrieve asteroid sample (landed on asteroid Bennu in 2020 and returned with sample in 2023)
- 2017 - initiated Artemis lunar landing project
- 2019 - initiated Gateway lunar orbital station project
- 2021 - launched James Webb Space Telescope (ESA contributed launch vehicle and launch site); surface rover vehicle (Perseverance) with robot helicopter (Ingenuity) successfully landed on surface of Mars
- 2024 - successfully placed a commercial lander on the Moon and launched probe (Europa Clipper) to study Jupiter's Europa moon
Source: CIA World Factbook (Historical Archive — final edition) · CC0 · Edition 2026-05
