Executive Summary In summary, the 2025–2032 period will likely be remembered as the “gold rush” era for small satellite launch services, marked by fierce competition, rapidly advancing technology, and multiplying launch opportunities worldwide. For stakeholders – whether satellite operators planning constellations, investors evaluating launch companies, or government agencies seeking assured access to space – the…
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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…
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Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, was the first artificial satellite. Explorer 1 became the United States’ first satellite in 1958. As of 2025, there are roughly 11,000+ active satellites orbiting Earth, with tens of thousands of pieces of inactive satellites and debris. Geostationary satellites orbit about 35,786 km (22,236…
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DGNSS improves GNSS accuracy by using stationary reference receivers to broadcast corrections to rovers, transforming standalone GPS accuracy from about 5–15 m to sub-meter or centimeter levels, with SBAS like WAAS (USA) and EGNOS (Europe) delivering about 1–3 m for aviation. Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) uses carrier-phase measurements and double-differencing to fix integer ambiguities, delivering centimeter-level…
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GSSAP-1 and GSSAP-2 were launched on July 28, 2014 aboard a Delta IV M+(4,2) from Cape Canaveral, accompanied by the ANGELS experimental satellite. The GSSAP satellites operate in near-geosynchronous orbit roughly 35,900 km (22,300 miles) above Earth and function as a “neighborhood watch” for the GEO belt, providing space situational awareness to USSPACECOM. Built by…
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The United States operates roughly 120–130 dedicated military satellites, spanning KH-11 imaging, SBIRS/DSP early warning, AEHF/Milstar communications, and the Wideband Global SATCOM network. Russia maintains about 70–80 active military satellites, including the Persona and Bars-M reconnaissance systems, the Liana ELINT network, the GLONASS navigation constellation, and the Tundra early-warning fleet. China operates approximately 60–70 military…
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