If you are looking at the sky, then there is a high possibility that you are not only looking at the stars but also at the satellites. Thousands of satellites are orbiting around the earth to provide you with the facility of internet and phone to television. As of May 2025, more than 11,700 satellites are revolving around the Earth in low orbit. However, now the increasing number of satellites has increased the concern of scientists. According to Live Science, 2,800 satellites were launched in 2024 alone. If we look at their number, one satellite has been launched every 34 hours. The increasing crowd of satellites in space has also increased the risk of space debris and satellite collision, about which scientists around the world are trying to warn people.

Private companies ahead in satellite race

It is worth noting that in this satellite race going on around the world, not government, but private companies are ahead. American businessman Elon Musk's company SpaceX is at the forefront of launching satellites. Elon Musk has already launched more than 7,400 satellites for his ambitious internet program Starlink. This is 60 percent of all satellites orbiting the Earth. That is, out of 100 satellites orbiting in space, 60 satellites belong to SpaceX only.

Other companies jumped into the space race.

Elon Musk's SpaceX is not the only one in the race to send satellites into space, but now America's Amazon and UK-based One Web have also joined this race. At the same time, many Chinese companies are also jumping into the rapidly growing satellite broadband service. The purpose of bringing satellite internet is to provide internet to people with the help of satellites in remote areas of the earth where there is no access to fiber internet. Today many types of services including telecommunication, GPS, and navigation are completely dependent on satellites. However, the increasing number of satellites in space is posing new challenges.

Low-Earth orbit is most affected
If we talk about the number of satellites, then the maximum number of satellites are orbiting in the Earth's Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), which is up to 2,000 kilometers above the Earth's atmospheric surface. Scientists have warned that the "carrying capacity" of this orbit is filling up rapidly. If this is not stopped, it will become difficult to launch satellites in this orbit, and the risk of satellites colliding with each other will also increase. And if this happens, many internet-based services on Earth may come to a halt.

The limit will be filled before 2050

According to Jonathan McDowell, Astronomer of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the total number of working and defunct satellites in space has reached about 14,900. He believes that as the number of commercial companies increases in satellite space, the number of satellites will also increase. According to the information, 1,00,000 satellites can easily stay in low-earth orbit, but it is estimated that this limit will be filled before 2050.

What is the danger from satellites?

Satellites that revolve around the Earth's axis are launched at a safe distance. This distance is maintained so that the satellites do not collide with each other. At present, satellites are the most important means of internet and communication. If satellites suddenly malfunction, many internet-related services on Earth can suddenly stop. Due to the increasing number of satellites in space, the risk of them colliding with each other has increased. Apart from this, debris of damaged satellites can also damage other satellites revolving in orbit by colliding with them. The increase in satellites will not only increase problems like radio interference and light pollution in the future, but scientists will also face problems in making astronomical observations.

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