Forecast: 28,700 satellites to launch in next decade
December 20, 2023
By Chris Forrester
Analysts at Euroconsult forecast that the next decade will see some 28,700 satellites launched into space. The activity will be worth around $588 billion (€536.4bn).
Activity from, Starlink, Project Kuiper, Telesat’s Lightspeed, Eutelsat/OneWeb and Chinese craft will lead the exponential growth.
The analysts admit that their forecast might be an underestimate; they have included in their study only those operations planning at least five satellites in their schemes.
However, even at a minimum of five satellites that leaves the report compiling detailed status and maturity assessments of 500 commercial constellations. The study includes a database of all satellites, regardless of mass, that was launched in the last decade, as well as satellites currently under construction, and launch forecasts for the next decade.
The expected growth is dramatic, with an average 2,800 satellites to be launched each year by 2032.
The past 10 years (2013-2022) saw 7,889 satellites launched of which 72 per cent were commercial constellations.