Viral Video Shows Earth’s Orbit Crowded With Satellites, Sparks Debate Online

Viral Video Shows Earth’s Orbit Crowded With Satellites, Sparks Debate Online

A viral video from satellitemap.space has reignited debate over the growing number of satellites surrounding Earth. The clip visualises more than 9,600 satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) as of early February 2026, with a majority belonging to SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, which provides internet connectivity to remote and underserved regions. 🚨: This is how many satellites are orbiting Earth right now ITS ABSOLUTELY FRIGHTENING 🤯pic.twitt…

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Low earth orbit LEO is not crowded

I saw an animation this morning showing how the space above our planet is dangerously crowded with satellites. That motivated me to do a little back-of-the-envelope math. The vast majority of satellites are in low earth orbit (LEO), which extends from 160 to 2000 km above the earth’s surface. The radius of the earth is about 6400 km, so the volume of the LEO region is There are about 12,500 satellites in LEO, so the average volume of LEO per sat…