Every Satellite Orbiting Earth and Who Owns Them
18. Jan 2022

所有绕地球运行的卫星以及它们的拥有者
2022 年 1 月 18 日

How many satellites are in space? There are thousands of satellites in the sky above us at this moment, orbiting Earth. Satellites have many uses for the government, military, and even civilians. They provide us the ability to have things like Internet access, television, GPS, and much more. They also have scientific purposes such as Earth and space observation and provide the means for high-level technology development. More than half of the 4,550 satellites orbiting Earth are used for communications purposes, and that number will continue to rise as tech billionaires look to bring high-speed Internet access to every corner of Earth.

太空中有多少颗卫星？就在此时此刻，我们头顶上方的天空中有数千颗卫星正在围绕着地球运行。卫星对政府、军队甚至普通平民都有很多用途。它们使我们能够拥有互联网接入、电视、GPS定位等等用途，它们还具有地球和空间观测等科学目的，并为高水平技术开发提供了手段。目前绕地球运行的 4,550 颗卫星中有一半以上用于通信目的，随着科技亿万富翁希望将高速互联网接入地球的每个角落，这一数字还将继续上升。

But what we want to know is, who owns our orbit? The research team at Dewesoft analyzed data collected by the UCS Satellite Database, ESRI, and the Space Foundation to create a list of the 50 owners of the most satellites orbiting Earth. As of Sept. 1, 2021, SpaceX is leading the race, with their Starlix satellite program planning to send more than a thousand new satellites into orbit every year. SpaceX owns an incredible 36% of the satellites in orbit around Earth. Read on to see which governments, organizations, and companies own the most satellites in our orbit with this galactic graphic.

但我们希望知道的是，都有哪些人拥有我们的轨道？Dewesoft 的研究团队分析了UCS（忧思科学家联盟，The unx of Concerned Scientists）提供的卫星数据库、美国环境系统研究所和太空基金会收集的数据，创建了一个目前拥有最多环绕地球卫星的 50 个所有者的列表。截至 2021 年 9 月 1 日，SpaceX公司处于领先地位，他们的“星链”卫星计划计划每年将超过1000 多颗新卫星送入轨道。SpaceX 拥有着令人难以置信的 36% 的环绕地球轨道的卫星。继续阅读这张星系图，看看哪些政府、组织和公司在我们的轨道上拥有最多的卫星。


Who Owns the Most Satellites Orbiting Earth?
SpaceX owns and operates the most satellites orbiting Earth. The space company’s 1,655 satellites make up more than a third of the total satellites in orbit. Why are there so many SpaceX satellites in orbit? Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX, has a goal of delivering high-speed broadband Internet access to almost everyone in the world through his new venture Starlix. SpaceX aims to launch a total of 1,500 Starlix satellites in 2021. SpaceX rockets bring tens of satellites up at a time, and it even set a record at the beginning of 2021 for bringing 143 satellites into Earth’s orbit on just one rocket. SpaceX now offers to transport other companies’ satellites to orbit on their rockets for the price of $1 million, which has opened up opportunities for even more commercial satellites to be launched into our orbit.

谁拥有最多的绕地球运行的卫星？
SpaceX 拥有并运营着最多的绕地球运行的卫星。该航天公司的 1,655 颗卫星占在轨卫星总数的三分之一以上。为什么会有这么多的 SpaceX 卫星在轨？SpaceX 的所有者埃隆·马斯克 (Elon Musk) 的目标是通过他的新企业美国太空探索技术公司的“星链”项目为世界上几乎所有人提供高速宽带互联网接入。SpaceX 的目标是在 2021 年共发射1500 颗“星链”卫星。SpaceX 火箭一次发射数十颗卫星，甚至在 2021 年初创下了只使用一枚火箭发射 143 颗卫星进入地球轨道的记录。SpaceX 现在甚至提出可以以仅 100 万美元的价格将其他公司的卫星发射到需要的轨道上，这为将更多商业卫星发射到我们的轨道上提供了机会。

The 10 Owners of the Most Satellites Orbiting Earth
SpaceX: 1,655
OneWeb Satellites: 288
Planet Labs Inc.: 188
Chinese Ministry of National Defense: 129
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation: 125
Spire Global Inc.: 121
Swarm Technologies: 120
U.S. Air Force: 87
Iridium Communications Inc.: 75
National Reconnaissance Office (NRO): 63

绕地球运行的卫星最多的 10 位所有者
太空探索技术公司：1,655
OneWeb 卫星（译注：英国类似星链的轨道宽带服务商）：288
行星实验室公司：188
中国国防部：129
俄罗斯联邦国防部：125
顶尖全球公司（同样为美国类似星链的轨道宽带服务商）：121
群技术（同样为美国类似星链的轨道宽带服务商，已为SpaceX收购）：120
美国空军：87
铱星通信公司：75
美国国家侦察局（NRO）：63

Which Country Has the Most Satellites Orbiting Earth?
The United States has the most satellites orbiting Earth. The 2,804 satellites that are owned or operated by an entity from the U.S. make up more than half of the total amount of space satellites that are currently in orbit. Through our analysis, we found that 75 different countries have at least one satellite orbiting Earth.

哪个国家的地球轨道卫星最多？
美国拥有最多的环绕地球运行的卫星。由美国实体拥有或运营的 2804 颗卫星占目前在轨空间卫星总数的一半以上。通过我们的分析，我们了解到有 75 个不同的国家至少拥有一颗绕地球运行的卫星。

The 30 Countries With the Most Satellites Orbiting Earth
United States: 2,804
China: 467
United Kingdom: 349
Russia: 168
Japan: 93
India: 61
Canada: 57
Germany: 47
Luxembourg: 40
Argentina: 34
France: 31
Spain: 24
Italy: 21
Israel: 19
South Korea: 18
Brazil: 16
Netherlands: 16
Finland: 15
Australia: 14
Saudi Arabia: 13
Taiwan: 13
United Arab Emirates: 13
Switzerland: 13
Singapore: 11
Turkey: 9
Indonesia: 8
Norway: 8
Mexico: 8
Thailand: 7
Kazakhstan: 6

地球轨道上卫星数量最多的 30 个国家
美国：2,804
中国：467
英国：349
俄罗斯：168
日本：93
印度：61
加拿大：57
德国：47
卢森堡：40
阿根廷：34
法国：31
西班牙：24
意大利：21
以色列：19
韩国：18
巴西：16
荷兰：16
芬兰：15
澳大利亚：14
沙特阿拉伯：13
台湾（地区）：13
阿拉伯联合酋长国：13
瑞士：13
新加坡：11
土耳其：9
印度尼西亚：8
挪威：8
墨西哥：8
泰国：7
哈萨克斯坦：6

How Many Satellites Are in Orbit Around Earth?
Earth has 4,550 satellites in orbit, as of Sept. 1, 2021.
There are four types of orbits around Earth that you will find satellites in:
low Earth orbit (LEO),
medium Earth orbit (MEO),
highly elliptical orbit (HEO), and
geosynchronous orbit (GSO)/geostationary orbit (GEO).

地球轨道上现在一共有多少颗卫星？
截至 2021 年 9 月 1 日，地球在轨运行的卫星一共有 4,550 颗。
围绕地球的轨道有四种类型，每个轨道都可以在其中找到运行的卫星：
近地轨道（LEO），
中地球轨道（MEO），
高椭圆轨道（HEO），以及地球同步轨道（GSO）/地球静止轨道（GEO）。
超过3,000 颗以上的卫星位于近地轨道 (LEO)，您可以在这里找到通常用于通信和遥感卫星系统的卫星。在这里可以找到 SpaceX的“星链”卫星，以及国际空间站和哈勃太空望远镜等。地球同步轨道 (GSO)/地球静止轨道 (GEO) 拥有第二多的卫星，共有 565 颗，主要用于电信和地球观测。GSO 和 GEO 中的卫星具有与地球自转相匹配的轨道速度，GEO 物体绕赤道运行，这使它们从地面看起来处于固定位置。中地球轨道 (MEO) 包含 139 颗卫星，主要用于 GPS 等导航系统。高椭圆轨道 (HEO) 有 56 颗卫星，用于通信、卫星无线电、遥感和其他应用。

More than 3,000 satellites are in low Earth orbit (LEO), which is where you will find satellites commonly used for communications and remote sensing satellite systems. This is where SpaceX Starlix satellites can be found, as well as the Internal Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope. The geosynchronous orbit (GSO)/geostationary orbit (GEO) has the second most satellites with 565, which are used for telecommunications and Earth observation. Satellites in GSO and GEO have orbital speeds that match Earth’s rotation; GEO obxts orbit the equator, which gives them the appearance of being in a fixed position. The medium Earth orbit (MEO) contains 139 satellites and is used for navigation systems, such as GPS. The highly elliptical orbit (HEO) has 56 satellites that are used for communications, satellite radio, remote sensing, and other applications. This orbit differs from the others because it has an oblong shape and one end is much closer to Earth than the other.

随着 SpaceX 和其他公司和实体不断将卫星送入轨道，地球周围的卫星总数将不断增加。SpaceX 甚至有一个目标，计划在未来 20 年内将 42,000 颗卫星送入太空！

The total number of satellites around Earth will keep increasing as SpaceX and other companies and entities continually launch satellites into orbit. SpaceX even has a goal of sending 42,000 satellites into space over the course of the next two decades!
What Purpose Do the Satellites Orbiting Earth Serve?
The satellites orbiting Earth serve many purposes. More than half of Earth satellites are meant for communications, including things like television, telephones, radio, Internet, and military applications. Most of these communications satellites can be found in geostationary orbit. Other uses for the thousands of satellites in the sky include Earth and space observation, Earth and space science, technology development and demonstrations, as well as navigation and global positioning. Below is a breakdown of the percentage of the 4,550 satellites that serve these main purposes:

绕地球运行的卫星有什么用途？
环绕地球运行的卫星有多种用途。超过一半的地球卫星用于通信，包括电视、电话、广播、互联网和军事应用。大多数这些通信卫星都可以在地球静止轨道上找到。天空中数千颗卫星的其他用途包括地球和空间观测、地球和空间科学、技术开发和演示，以及导航和全球定位。以下是服务于这些主要目的的 4,550 颗卫星的百分比细目：

Communications: 63%
Earth observation: 22.1%
Technology development: 7.8%
Navigation/global positioning: 3.6%
Technology demonstration: 0.77%
Earth science: 0.44%
Space observation: 0.22%
Space science: 2.3%

通讯：63%
地球观测：22.1%
技术开发：7.8%
导航/全球定位：3.6%
技术示范：0.77%
地球科学：0.44%
空间观测：0.22%
空间科学：2.3%