SMI Launch Cadence · the measure of row 1
Print 2026-W39.r7 · GCAT data to 28 Sep 2026 · may revise · prior print 2026-W39.r6
1Launch and access235 launches in 2026 · 97% reached orbit · US 53% · China 30%
- Cadence
- 6.2 launches a week, last 13 weeks · 6.3 a year earlier
- Reached Earth orbit
- 226
- Deep space
- 2
- Did not reach orbit
- 7
- By country
- United States 124 · China 70 · New Zealand 15 · Russia 13
- Reflown booster
- 107 of 235
- Mass to orbit, reported
- 1,401.5 t · 123 of 235 launches
- Cost per kg
- List price · SpaceX rideshare $7,000/kg to SSO · List price · Falcon 9 $74M for up to 5.5 t to GTO (about $13,455/kg)
- Provisional
- 0 provisional launches since GCAT's 28 Sep update · read 30 Sep 2026, 12:02 PM CT
Provisional counts of launches since the latest GCAT update are calculated by Space Markets from Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs (thespacedevs.com); they are not included in index figures, which use GCAT only.
Weeks
- Week of 2025-12-29: 2
- Week of 2026-01-05: 2
- Week of 2026-01-12: 11
- Week of 2026-01-19: 4
- Week of 2026-01-26: 5
- Week of 2026-02-02: 4
- Week of 2026-02-09: 7
- Week of 2026-02-16: 4
- Week of 2026-02-23: 4
- Week of 2026-03-02: 5
- Week of 2026-03-09: 7
- Week of 2026-03-16: 9
- Week of 2026-03-23: 5
- Week of 2026-03-30: 8
- Week of 2026-04-06: 7
- Week of 2026-04-13: 7
- Week of 2026-04-20: 8
- Week of 2026-04-27: 6
- Week of 2026-05-04: 1
- Week of 2026-05-11: 7
- Week of 2026-05-18: 6
- Week of 2026-05-25: 7
- Week of 2026-06-01: 6
- Week of 2026-06-08: 7
- Week of 2026-06-15: 10
- Week of 2026-06-22: 5
- Week of 2026-06-29: 8
- Week of 2026-07-06: 4
- Week of 2026-07-13: 6
- Week of 2026-07-20: 7
- Week of 2026-07-27: 4
- Week of 2026-08-03: 6
- Week of 2026-08-10: 7
- Week of 2026-08-17: 6
- Week of 2026-08-24: 6
- Week of 2026-08-31: 6
- Week of 2026-09-07: 4
- Week of 2026-09-14: 12
- Week of 2026-09-21: 4
- Week of 2026-09-28: 1
Launch and access → · updated 30 Sep 2026, 5:45 PM CT · weekly print after each GCAT data update; provisional count daily
2Compute and energy in orbit9 announced · 5 launched · 0 working
Working: — · Launched: 1 × NVIDIA H100, 40 × NVIDIA Jetson Orin (operator-stated) · Power in orbit: no figure stated
| Project | Operator | Class | Stage | Stated capacity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kepler Tranche 1 compute | Kepler (CA) | compute | launched | 40 × NVIDIA Jetson Orin | source |
| ODC Nodes 1-2 | Axiom Space (US) | compute | launched | — | source |
| Phobos | Aethero (US) | compute | launched | — | source |
| Starcloud-1 | Starcloud (US) | compute | launched | 1 × NVIDIA H100 | source |
| Three-Body Computing Constellation, group 01 | ADA Space and Zhejiang Lab (CN) | compute | launched | evidence unclear | source |
| Athena (TILE demo) | Sophia Space (US) | compute | announced | — | source |
| AxODC Node ISS | Axiom Space (US) | compute | announced | — | source |
| Galactic Brain, first node | Cowboy Space Corporation (formerly Aetherflux) (US) | compute | announced | — | source |
| Star Compute group 02 | ADA Space (CN) | compute | announced | — | source |
| Starcloud-2 | Starcloud (US) | compute | announced | — | source |
| Suncatcher prototype | Google, with Planet (US) | compute | announced | — | source |
| Suncatcher two-satellite laser-link test | Google (US) | compute | announced | — | source |
| Mission 1 power-beaming demo | Cowboy Space Corporation (formerly Aetherflux) (US) | energy | announced | — | source |
| Protostar | Star Catcher (US) | energy | announced | — | source |
| Orbital Data Center System | SpaceX (US) | compute | announced · evidence unclear | — | source |
| Project Sunrise | Blue Origin (US) | compute | announced · evidence unclear | — | source |
| Freedom | Lonestar (US) | compute | working · ended | — | source |
| SSPD-1 / MAPLE | Caltech (US) | energy | working · ended · evidence unclear | — | source |
Compute and energy in orbit → · updated 29 Sep 2026, 4:40 PM CT · weekly print, plus a review within 2 business days of a known event
3Connectivity and dataEarlyBroadband satellites in orbit: Starlink 11,158 · OneWeb 654 · Amazon Leo 392 · Qianfan 257 · Guowang 239
Broadband
| Constellation | In orbit | Catalogued | Reentered | Catalogued through | Operator figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starlink | 11,158 | 13,034 | 1,868 | 28 Sep 2026 | — |
| OneWeb | 654 | 660 | 2 | 20 Oct 2024 | — |
| Amazon Leo | 392 | 398 | 6 | 2 Jul 2026 | — |
| Qianfan | 257 | 257 | 0 | 15 Sep 2026 | — |
| Guowang | 239 | 240 | 1 | 23 Sep 2026 | — |
In orbit per GCAT (satcat, satcat100k and auxcat), not a count of operating satellites. Operator figures, when captured, are shown beside the GCAT count and never added to it.
Earth observation Early
| Fleet | In orbit | Catalogued through |
|---|---|---|
| Planet | at least 134 | 7 Jul 2026 |
| Jilin-1 | at least 80 | 15 Jun 2026 |
| ICEYE | at least 53 | 7 Jul 2026 |
| BlackSky | at least 17 | 11 Sep 2026 |
| Capella | at least 9 | 30 Mar 2026 |
| Umbra | at least 5 | 11 Jan 2026 |
Early: the owner and name mapping may miss satellites, so each figure is a floor.
- Ground stations
- Early · no count yet
- Downlink
- —
Connectivity and data → · updated 30 Sep 2026, 5:45 PM CT · counts at each weekly print; operator figures and ground-station lists monthly
4Spectrum and filingsEarlyTracked deadlines: SpaceX Gen2 50% by 1 Dec 2028 · Amazon Leo 100% by 30 Jul 2029
- FCC, 47 CFR 25.164(b): NGSO: 50% within 6 years of grant; the rest within 9 years, unless a different schedule is set.
- ITU: Bring into use within 7 years; NGSO milestones 10% / 50% / 100% at +2 / +5 / +7 years (reports due +30 days). Source: ITU Radio Regulations No. 11.44/11.44C; Resolution 35 (WRC-19); Circular Letter CR/475.
| System | Authority | Requirement | Due | Status | In orbit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Leo Gen1 | FCC | 50% (1,616) launched and operating | 30 Jul 2026 | Waived with conditions · verified | 392 | DA 26-553 (para. 3; sha256 6ec0c7a1bb32…) |
| Amazon Leo Gen1 | FCC | Processing-round priority restored for satellites deployed after 30 Jul 2026 | 30 Mar 2028 at the latest | Open · verified | 392 | DA 26-553 (para. 15; sha256 6ec0c7a1bb32…) |
| SpaceX Gen2 Starlink | FCC | 50% of the maximum authorised Gen2 satellites launched, in assigned orbits and operating | 1 Dec 2028 | Open · verified | — | DA 26-36 (para. 14.a.i; sha256 4d4df620f138…) |
| SpaceX Gen2 Starlink | FCC | Remaining authorised Gen2 satellites launched, in assigned orbits and operating | 1 Dec 2031 | Open · verified | — | DA 26-36 (para. 14.a.i; sha256 4d4df620f138…) |
| Amazon Leo Gen1 | FCC | 100% (3,232) launched and operating | 30 Jul 2029 | Open · verified | 392 (≈12% of 3,232; GCAT, data to 28 Sep 2026) | DA 26-553 (paras. 3 and 11; sha256 6ec0c7a1bb32…) |
| NGSO assignments whose 7-year period ended before 1 Jan 2021 | ITU | M3: 100% deployed (deployment report due) | 1 Feb 2028 | Open · unverified | — | RES 35 - Timeframe (rule only) |
Verified means the FCC order itself is captured (SHA-256 below and in the JSON). SpaceX Gen2 rows show — for In orbit. Note: Starlink total in orbit 11,158 (GCAT does not split Gen1 and Gen2). The ITU row is a rule date for a category of filings; no system is named under it. Information only; no score. Recent actions, last 90 days: none captured.
Status notes
- Amazon Leo Gen1, due 30 Jul 2026: Waived with conditions, FCC order DA 26-553 (5 Jun 2026). Per the order (para. 15), satellites deployed after 30 Jul 2026 lose processing-round priority until the earlier of 30 Mar 2028 or 50% deployed (30 Oct 2027 if Amazon certifies construction and launch procurement). Per the order (para. 18), the surety bond is forfeited if the 50% milestone is not met on 30 Jul 2026.
- Amazon Leo Gen1, due 30 Mar 2028 at the latest: Open. Per the order (DA 26-553, para. 15), priority returns on the earlier of 30 Mar 2028 or 50% deployed; 30 Oct 2027 if Amazon certifies it has built the satellites and procured the launches.
- SpaceX Gen2 Starlink, due 1 Dec 2028: Open.
- SpaceX Gen2 Starlink, due 1 Dec 2031: Open.
- Amazon Leo Gen1, due 30 Jul 2029: Open; not changed by the waiver (DA 26-553, para. 11). If missed, the authorisation is reduced to the number operating on that date (para. 12).
- NGSO assignments whose 7-year period ended before 1 Jan 2021, due 1 Feb 2028: Rule date with its category only (ITU Res. 35 timeframe, Case 2). No system is named under it: none is verified.
Captured orders
- FCC DA 26-553 (EDOCS), Kuiper Systems LLC (Amazon Leo), adopted and released 5 Jun 2026 · captured 30 Sep 2026, 12:00 PM CT · SHA-256
6ec0c7a1bb32f969e19d1372aef40cd9708934a2297aff2ce30f22b7b00135c2 - FCC DA 26-36 (EDOCS), Space Exploration Holdings (SpaceX Gen2), adopted and released 9 Jan 2026 · captured 30 Sep 2026, 12:00 PM CT · SHA-256
4d4df620f1386dfdf81fd99bd2a8073450a47cd152f8581548501755fba36c78
Spectrum and filings → · updated 30 Sep 2026, 12:04 PM CT · weekly review at each print; plus within 2 business days of a known due date
5Deep space and the Moon2 deep-space launches in 2026 · 0 Moon landings in 2026 · crewed: Artemis II flyby flown
Deep-space launches, 2026
2025: 5 · Moon landings in 2026 (GCAT landercat): 0
Moon missions
| Mission | Agency | Stage | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artemis II | NASA | returned | 2026-04-10 | source |
Crewed
| Country | Last flown | Next stated |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Artemis II crewed lunar flyby, 1-10 Apr 2026 | No update yet |
| China | Long March 10A test flight, 11 Feb 2026 | No update yet |
Moon Race
Crewed Moon landing: United States or China first? Latest: Artemis II crewed flyby, 1 Apr 2026 · China: Long March 10A test, 11 Feb 2026. Next scheduled: No update yet. Information only.
Deep space and the Moon → · updated 30 Sep 2026, 5:45 PM CT · weekly print, plus a review within 2 business days of an event