Science · Facts & sources
4 sourced facts about satellites and space debris, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
AnswerAbout 47260
The total mass of objects in Earth orbit is more than 17,400 tonnes.
Source: ESA Space Debris Office, Space Environment Statistics sdup.esoc.esa.int
AnswerAbout 15900
About 19,440 of the satellites placed in orbit are still in space.
Source: ESA Space Debris Office, Space Environment Statistics sdup.esoc.esa.int
AnswerAbout 28270
They were carried by about 7,370 rocket launches, excluding failures.
Source: ESA Space Debris Office, Space Environment Statistics sdup.esoc.esa.int
Answer6,768
590 were in geosynchronous orbit and 143 in medium Earth orbit.
Source: Union of Concerned Scientists, UCS Satellite Database (2023) ucs.org