Complete List of Satellites

This
is very cool – a complete database of all 800 active satelites in orbit
around the earth, including military
and "secret" intelligence sats. Who knew that the US still has more satellites
than all the other countries combined (413 vs 382)?

The listing includes
40 "spy" satellites with names like Mercury, Trumpet, and Orion run
by the National Reconnaissance Office, which builds and manages US
spy satellites, as well as telcom, weather and satellite radio. It does not, however, include Dr. No’s secret satellite headquarters….

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 7 – Have you ever seen the distant
flickering of a satellite
in the
night
sky
and
wondered
what country it might belong to or what it might be used for? Now you
can indulge your curiosity with the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Satellite
Database, the first comprehensive, easy-to-use repository of information
on the more than 800 active satellites.

"Until now, the general public didn’t have easy access to information
about all active satellites," said Dr. Laura Grego, an astrophysicist
at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "No one owns space, so everyone
has a right to know what’s up there."
The database is a free research tool for specialists and non-specialists
alike. It contains 21 types of data for each satellite, including: technical
information (orbit, mass, power, launch date, expected lifetime); what
the satellite is used for; and who owns, operates and built the satellite.

"We are launching the database not only to feed interest, but to start
a conversation about the best uses of space," said Dr. Grego. "People
can learn just how valuable satellites are by browsing through the database.
Satellites serve many practical functions, from weather forecasting and
television broadcasting to military spying. But many people aren’t aware
that satellites could become threatened, as some in the United States government
want to build weapons to destroy or interfere with satellites. It raises
a slew of scientific and diplomatic questions."

The
database is in Excel format and can be downloaded on
the UCS
website.