Space Encyclopedia
🛰️ Satellites & Spacecraft
Overview
A satellite is any object placed in orbit around a larger body. Today more than 10,000 active spacecraft orbit Earth for communications, navigation, weather forecasting, science, and defense. The ISS is the largest and most-visited crewed spacecraft ever built.
Key facts
- •Low Earth Orbit (LEO): 160–2,000 km altitude
- •Geostationary Orbit (GEO): 35,786 km altitude
- •Active satellites (2024): >10,000
- •ISS altitude: ~420 km, orbits Earth every ~90 min
- •Starlink constellation: >6,000 satellites and growing
Why it matters
Satellites are directly exposed to space weather. Solar storms heat and expand the upper atmosphere, dragging LEO satellites down faster; energetic particles can flip bits in electronics; and geomagnetic storms have brought down entire Starlink launches.
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Frequently asked questions
How can I see the ISS?
The ISS is bright enough to spot with the naked eye when it passes over your location just after sunset or before sunrise. Our ISS visibility page shows tonight's predicted passes.
Can solar storms destroy satellites?
Yes. Severe storms have caused total losses — 40 Starlink satellites were lost to a minor geomagnetic storm during launch in February 2022 due to increased atmospheric drag.
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