Record number of satellites were launched into space in 2020


The launch of the Beidou-3GEO3 satellite from Xichang in China on June 23. — STR/AFP

It's a record year for the space industry. In 2020, over 1200 satellites were sent to orbit, more than in any other previous year, according to spaceflight tracker Jonathan McDowell.

As of Dec 15, China was leading the way with 37% of the launches, two points ahead of the United States (35%). Europe lags far behind, with only 5% of the global space launches taking place this year, behind Russia (13%), New Zealand (7%), and just a step ahead of Japan (4%).

Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

RM 11.12/month

Billed as RM 11.12 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter.

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 9.87/month

Billed as RM 118.40 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
Satellites

Next In Tech News

Wall Street giants partner with Nvidia on $500 billion AI financing deal, FT reports
US House Democrats press Anthropic, OpenAI about rogue AI agents
Analysis-Crypto bill faces long odds after Senate punts vote to September
Microsoft plans to unveil next-generation AI chip in September, The Information reports
GameStop weighing withdrawal of eBay bid, Bloomberg News reports
Intel plans $15 billion share sale as turnaround rally lifts stock
Unitree's Shanghai IPO more than 8,000 times oversubscribed by retail investors
India's TCS flags alleged exposure of some employee data, says customer data not impacted
Retail investors sold SpaceX shares for first time on Friday
Meta launches new AI model as Zuckerberg champions open-weight push

Others Also Read