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Low Earth Orbit News 5 June 2025 - 9 June 2025

LEO Gold Rush: The Billion-Dollar Race to Own Low Earth Orbit (2024–2030)

LEO Gold Rush: The Billion-Dollar Race to Own Low Earth Orbit (2024–2030)

SpaceX’s Starlink has launched over 8,000 satellites since 2019, with about 4,000 operational and service in 125+ countries serving more than 5 million users. OneWeb merged with France’s Eutelsat in 2023 to form a combined GEO+LEO operator, after launching 618 of 648 Gen1 satellites by March 2023 and planning Gen2 at around 300 satellites. Amazon’s Project Kuiper aims for 3,236 satellites, with the first operational Kuiper launch in April 2025 carrying 27 satellites and a deployment target of about 1,618 satellites by mid-2026 under an 83-launch pre-purchase deal. China’s Guowang megaconstellation targets roughly 13,000 LEO satellites by the early 2030s,
9 June 2025
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Mega-Constellations Exposed: How Swarms of Tiny Satellites Are Taking Over Low Earth Orbit

Mega-Constellations Exposed: How Swarms of Tiny Satellites Are Taking Over Low Earth Orbit

By 2024, small satellites accounted for over 95% of all satellites launched annually. SpaceX’s Starlink operates the world’s largest constellation with over 7,000 active satellites in orbit as of late 2024. Starlink’s initial shell consisted of about 4,400 satellites at roughly 550 km altitude and 53° inclination, with FCC approval for about 12,000 satellites and potential expansion to 42,000. Iridium uses 86.4° near-polar orbits in six planes at ~780 km to achieve global coverage including polar regions. OneWeb’s Gen1 network aimed for ~1,200 km orbit with ~86–87° inclination and had deployed 618 satellites by March 2023, before merging with Eutelsat
5 June 2025
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