Key points from the chart
- The chart shows objects launched into space each year from the 1960s to 2023 as a circle of bars around the Earth, one bar per year.
- For four decades the bars stay short, mostly between about 70 and 200 a year. From the late 2010s they grow sharply, and the longest bars reach about 2,400.
- Colour shows who launched: teal for non commercial missions, orange for commercial missions and pink for objects not yet registered with the UN.
- The text says launches by private companies have increased dramatically in the past couple of decades, while the average size of satellites is getting smaller.
- UN data published by Our World in Data count 2,479 objects launched in 2022, 2,903 in 2023 and 4,510 in 2025 [1].
The chart in text
Logos: United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, and ESA. Title: We’re launching more than ever. Text: Since the beginning of the space age, thousands of spacecraft have been launched to space, with a dramatic increase in recent years. In the past couple of decades, the number of launches from private companies has dramatically increased, while the average size of satellites is getting smaller.
Chart: a radial bar chart around a globe, running clockwise from the 1960s at the top through the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s to the 2020s. Scale rings from 200 to 2,400 in steps of 200. No values are printed for individual years.
- Non commercial missions, for example civil agencies, universities, military.
- Commercial missions, for example private companies.
- Unregistered objects: objects yet to be registered with the UN. A lag time between objects being placed in orbit and registration is common practice. As such, registration rates for recent years will continue to rise accordingly.
Source note: The launch rate in the last 20 years is derived from the UN Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space. Earlier data and additional classification is retrieved from the ESA DISCOS database. Up to date as of June 2023. Hashtags: #SpaceSustainability, #SpaceCare.
Launches by year
The UN keeps an online index of objects launched into outer space, built from what countries register under the Registration Convention and a 1961 General Assembly resolution [2]. Our World in Data compiles it into yearly totals for satellites, probes, landers, crewed spacecraft and space station parts [1]. Selected years:
| Year | Objects launched into space |
|---|---|
| 1957 | 2 |
| 1960 | 20 |
| 1965 | 161 |
| 1970 | 130 |
| 1975 | 158 |
| 1980 | 130 |
| 1985 | 165 |
| 1990 | 170 |
| 1995 | 105 |
| 2000 | 121 |
| 2005 | 72 |
| 2010 | 121 |
| 2015 | 222 |
| 2017 | 456 |
| 2019 | 586 |
| 2020 | 1,274 |
| 2021 | 1,814 |
| 2022 | 2,479 |
| 2023 | 2,903 |
| 2024 | 2,849 |
| 2025 | 4,510 |
By decade the totals show how recent the rise is [1]:
| Decade | Objects launched |
|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,056 |
| 1970s | 1,428 |
| 1980s | 1,468 |
| 1990s | 1,311 |
| 2000s | 977 |
| 2010s | 2,772 |
| 2020 to 2025 (six years) | 15,829 |
More objects went up in the six years from 2020 to 2025 than in the previous six decades combined. In 2024 the total of 2,849 works out at nearly eight objects a day, and in 2025 at more than 12 a day (our arithmetic from the yearly totals) [1].
Why the numbers rose so fast
The chart’s own explanation is the growth of commercial launches alongside smaller satellites, and its orange bars make up most of each recent year. The UN Office for Outer Space Affairs runs a programme on the long term sustainability of outer space activities, which the chart’s #SpaceSustainability tag refers to [3].
Notes on this infographic
- The chart was up to date as of June 2023, so its last bar covers only part of that year. The full 2023 total was 2,903 [1].
- The figures count objects launched, mostly satellites, not rocket launches, so one rocket can account for several objects.
- According to Our World in Data, the UN index captures around 88% of all objects launched, because it relies on national registrations [1]. Recent years can rise further as late registrations come in, which the chart notes too.
- The commercial and non commercial split comes from the chart and ESA’s DISCOS database; we did not have that split to check it.
Questions about satellite launches
How many satellites are launched per year?
Using the UN index, 2,849 objects were launched into space in 2024 and 4,510 in 2025, counting satellites, probes, landers, crewed spacecraft and space station parts [1]. Before 2017 the yearly total had never passed 250 [1].
How often are satellites launched?
On average about eight objects a day in 2024 and more than 12 a day in 2025, based on the yearly totals [1].
Why are more satellites being launched?
The chart puts the rise down to commercial launches: launches by private companies have increased dramatically in the past couple of decades, while the average size of satellites is getting smaller. Commercial missions, shown in orange, make up most of each recent year. UN data count 2,903 objects launched in 2023, against 222 in 2015 [1].
How many objects have been launched into space since 2020?
15,829 objects were launched into space in the six years from 2020 to 2025, according to UN data compiled by Our World in Data [1]. That is more than in the previous six decades combined, with 2,772 in the 2010s and 977 in the 2000s [1]. The UN index captures around 88% of all objects launched, because it relies on national registrations [1].
Sources
- Our World in Data, Annual number of objects launched into space, data from the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs Online Index of Objects Launched into Outer Space, updated 25 February 2026.
- United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, United Nations Register of Objects Launched into Outer Space.
- United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, Long-term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
