Dataset of MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) Satellites in Space
This dataset contains 139 entries.

  Overview

This is a dataset of MEO satellites, based on UCS Satellite Database compiled by the Union of Concerned Scientist (UCS).

Most MEO satellites are launched for military and commercial use (45.3%) and for the purpose of navigation and global positioning (83.5%).


  Data Table

Preparing data

  More..

Insights from the MEO satellite dataset

  Which year saw the most MEO satellites launched?

That year is 2018, which saw 27 MEO satellites launched.

  Who operates or owns the most MEO satellites?

DoD and US Air Force owns/operates the most number of MEO satellites (35 - 25.2% of the satellites in this dataset).

  Which country operates or owns the most MEO satellites?

USA owns/operates the most number of MEO satellites (37 - 26.6% of the satellites in this dataset).

  Which rocket has delivered the most MEO satellites to space?

The rocket that has delivered the most MEO satellites to space is Long March 3B which has delivered 29 satellites (20.9%).

  Which launch site has launched the most MEO satellites to space?

The launch site that has delivered the most MEO satellites to space is Guiana Space Center which has launched 44 MEO satellites (31.7%).

  What is the most common type of satellite orbit?

Non-Polar Inclined orbit is the most common type of orbit (94 satellites - 67.6%).

  Apogee, Perigee & Period

The perigees (point of the orbit closest to the Earth's center of mass) of the satellites range from 1,885km to 23,551km, with the average perigee being 18,708.8km from the Earth, while the apogees (point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass) of the satellites range from 2,165km to 23,618km, with the average apogee being 18,864.5km from the Earth. The longest period a satellite takes to orbit around the Earth is 861 minutes.

  Satellite Mass

The launch masses (include fuel) of the satellites range from 600kg to 3,800kg, while the dry masses (excluding fuel) of the satellites range from 280kg to 980kg.


Highlights on some of the military and commercial satellites:

O3b FM09.

O3b's 3rd Set of Satellites Successfully Launched

  Second heaviest equatorial satellite launched into space at 650 kg

Operated by O3b Networks Ltd. of United Kingdom, O3b FM09 is a commercial satellite launched for the purpose of communications.

Delivered via Soyuz-ST-B (launch vehicle) from Guiana Space Center, it was launched into space on 18 December 2014 and orbits the Earth as a equatorial MEO satellite. O3b FM09 was constructed by Thales Alenia Space (France).

O3b FM09 has a launch mass of 650 kg and navigates with the COSPAR ID 2014-083D and NORAD ID 40351.

Using its self-produced usable power of 1500 watts, O3b FM09 takes 288 minutes to orbit the Earth. The satellite's perigee, which is the point of the orbit closest to the Earth's center of mass, is 8,063km while its apogee, which is the point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass, is 8,068km. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 1.73E-04.

 

 Compare O3b FM09 with Cosmos 2432 from Russia.

 Compare O3b FM09 with Galileo IOV-2 FM3 from ESA.


Galileo FOC FM19.

Galileo: the first ten years

  Heaviest satellite launched by Ariane 5 ES into space at 715 kg

Galileo FOC FM19 is a commercial satellite operated by European Space Agency (ESA) (ESA) for the purpose of navigation and global positioning.

A non-polar inclined MEO satellite, it was launched into space using Ariane 5 ES as the launch vehicle from Guiana Space Center on 25 July 2018. Galileo FOC FM19 was constructed by OHB-System GmbH, SSTL (Germany/UK).

Designated with COSPAR ID 2018-060C and NORAD ID 43566, Galileo FOC FM19 is designed to operate in space for a lifetime of 12 years. It has a launch mass of 715 kg.

With an orbital eccentricity of 2.87E-04, the satellite's perigee, which is the point of the orbit closest to the Earth's center of mass, is 23,233km while its apogee, which is the point of the orbit farthest from the Earth's center of mass, is 23,250km. It takes 840 minutes to orbit the Earth at an inclination of 56 degrees to the equatorial plane of the Earth.

 

 Compare Galileo FOC FM19 with USA 262 from USA.

 Compare Galileo FOC FM19 with USA 150 from USA.


Get more insights from these satellite datasets

  Full datasets:  All satellites by launch date   |   The Heaviest Satellites That Are Launched to Space

  By Use Type:  Civil-use satellites   |   Commercial satellites   |   Government satellites   |   Military satellites

  By Country:  USA   |   UK   |   France   |   Germany   |   Japan   |   China   |   Russia   |   Australia   |   Canada

  By Orbit Class/Type:  LEO satellites   |   MEO satellites   |   GEO satellites   |   Elliptical orbit   |   Polar orbit   |   Equatorial orbit   |   Non-polar inclined orbit   |   Sun-synchronous orbit   |   Molniya orbit

  By Operators:  SpaceX   |   EUTELSAT   |   SES   |   European Space Agency (ESA)   |   Planet Labs   |   Iridium   |   Spire Global   |   OneWeb   |   Swarm Technologies   |   NASA - Dataset of Satellites Launched (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)   |   Canadian Space Agency (CSA) - Dataset of Satellites Launched

  By Launch Vehicle:  Falcon 9   |   Ariane 5   |   Ariane 5 ECA   |   Delta 2   |   Dnepr   |   Electron   |   Falcon Heavy   |   Long March 2C   |   Long March 2D   |   Long March 3B   |   Pegasus   |   Proton   |   Proton M   |   PSLV   |   Rokot   |   Soyuz   |   Soyuz-2.1b   |   Vega

  By Launch Vehicle:  Cape Canaveral   |   Baikonur Cosmodrome   |   Guiana Space Center   |   International Space Station   |   Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center   |   Plesetsk Cosmodrome   |   Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1   |   Satish Dhawan Space Centre   |   Taiyuan Launch Center   |   Vandenberg AFB   |   Xichang Satellite Launch Center   |   Boeing Satellite Systems   |   Airbus Defense and Space   |   EADS Astrium   |   Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems   |   Space Systems/Loral   |   Surrey Satellite Technology   |   Technical University Berlin   |   Thales Alenia Space


  Interactive Chart

Chart 1: Major Operators
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Chart 2: Satellites by Purpose
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Chart 3: Satellites by Country
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  Attributions

No attribution sources specified.
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