Operators file for thousands of satellites and regulators set dates by which they must be flying. This monitor sets every large constellation's licensed or filed size and its deadlines against what the public satellite catalogue shows was actually launched, is still operating, and has re-entered.
Projections are arithmetic, not forecasts: each fleet's net additions over the last twelve months (launched minus re-entered), carried forward. They show how much a constellation has to speed up, not what its operator will do.
The bar is satellites operating today as a share of the count the milestone requires. "Tight" means the projected date falls within six months after the deadline; "Behind" means later than that.
Licence · FCC
FCC order of 9 Jan 2026: second-generation satellites fully deployed by 1 Dec 2031 (Setcoin reading: all authorised satellites operating).
Licence · FCC
Half the fleet; deadline moved from 30 Jul 2026 by FCC order DA 26-553 (5 Jun 2026), with lower priority for satellites launched after July 2026.
Company target · ITU
Phase 1 of 1,296 satellites, completion targeted for 2027 (company plan, as reported by CCTV).
ITU rule · ITU
ITU milestone rule: 10% of a filing deployed within two years of its bring-into-use deadline; the filing dates are not public.
Agency target · Agency
Agency aim to complete Tranche 1 in 2027.
Move the slider to a monthly net pace and see when the milestone would be met.
| Constellation | Segment | Licensed / filed | Launched | Operating | Re-entered | Last 12 months | Last launch | Median altitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpaceX StarlinkUS · FCC | Broadband | 19,40857% operating | 12,943 | 11,149 | 1,792 | +2,961 / −512 | Oct 2026 | 466 km |
| Amazon Leo (Kuiper)US · FCC | Broadband | 3,23612% operating | 398 | 391 | 6 | +243 / −4 | Jul 2026 | 630 km |
| Spacesail QianfanCN · ITU | Broadband | 15,0001.7% operating | 257 | 257 | 0 | +149 / −0 | Sept 2026 | 1,068 km |
| China SatNet GuowangCN · ITU | Broadband | 12,9921.8% operating | 235 | 234 | 1 | +127 / −0 | Sept 2026 | 1,150 km |
| US Space Development AgencyUS · Agency | Defence | 15455% operating | 84 | 84 | 0 | +42 / −0 | Oct 2026 | 945 km |
| Eutelsat OneWebUK/FR · Ofcom / ITU | Broadband | 648100% operating | 656 | 651 | 2 | +0 / −0 | Oct 2024 | 1,202 km |
| AST SpaceMobileUS · FCC | Direct-to-device | — | 15 | 13 | 2 | +8 / −1 | Aug 2026 | 509 km |
| Bureau 1440 RassvetRU · ITU | Broadband | — | 32 | 31 | 1 | +32 / −1 | Jul 2026 | 510 km |
Licensed or filed sizes: SpaceX Starlink, FCC: 4,408 first-generation plus 15,000 second-generation satellites after the 9 January 2026 order; Amazon Leo (Kuiper), FCC authorisation of July 2020; Spacesail Qianfan, about 15,000 satellites filed at the ITU (published totals range from 12,000 to 15,000); China SatNet Guowang, 12,992 satellites filed at the ITU; US Space Development Agency, Tranche 1: 126 Transport Layer plus 28 Tracking Layer satellites; Eutelsat OneWeb, first-generation fleet of 648 satellites (company). AST SpaceMobile and Rassvet are tracked for pace only; no dated milestone is public.
Subscribers get a note when a constellation launches, loses satellites, slips past a milestone or receives a new licence or filing, plus the per-shell catalogue record and the regulatory filings behind each deadline for diligence on an operator or its suppliers.
Method. Satellites are matched to constellations by catalogue name. "Operating" counts payloads still in orbit with an operational, partial, backup, spare or extended-mission status. Net pace is satellites launched minus satellites re-entered over the last 365 days, divided by twelve. New launches can appear in the catalogue under a temporary name for several weeks. Sources: CelesTrak SATCAT (as of 2026-10-23); FCC authorises 7,500 additional Starlink Gen2 satellites (SatNews, Jan 2026); FCC order DA 26-553 (milestone extension); Qianfan reaches 200 satellites (AIAA, Jun 2026); SDA aims to complete Tranche 1 by 2027 (Federal News Network, Sep 2026). Related research: Space supply chain bottlenecks, Launch after Starship, Direct-to-device, Defence space and Golden Dome. Related tools: Space Contracts & Tender Radar, Space Claim Check (what the catalogues record for any operator).
Constellation Deployment Monitor
Whether each large satellite constellation is deploying fast enough to meet the size it is licensed or filed for and the dated milestones it is held to. It tracks 8 constellations with 12,810 operating satellites, using the public satellite catalogue for what is in orbit and FCC orders, ITU rules, agency and company statements for the deadlines.
Regulators grant spectrum and orbital rights on condition that satellites are actually launched. The FCC generally requires half of a licensed fleet within six years and all of it within nine; the ITU requires 10% of a filing within two years of its bring-into-use deadline, 50% within five and all within seven. A fleet that misses a milestone can lose part of its authorisation or its priority, which affects its spectrum position and its suppliers’ order books.
By carrying forward the fleet’s net additions over the last twelve months: satellites launched minus satellites re-entered, divided by twelve. It is arithmetic on the catalogue record, not a forecast of the operator’s launch plan, and it changes as soon as the pace does.
Satellites launched, operating and re-entered come from the CelesTrak SATCAT, refreshed daily. Licensed and filed sizes and milestones come from FCC orders, the ITU milestone rule, and agency and company statements, each cited on this page.
Suppliers of satellites, components and launch who need to know which fleets will keep ordering; lenders and investors assessing an operator’s plan against its record; and governments and regulators following spectrum and orbital use.
