On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Sputnik 1 became the very first satellite to launch into space. Just a few months later, the USA followed suit with Explorer 1. For several years thereafter, the two superpowers were the only countries with satellites in Earth's orbit. It was not until 1962 that two additional nations succeeded in launching their own satellites (or having them launched by NASA).
According to the OECD report The Space Economy at a Glance 2026, 109 countries currently have at least one satellite in Earth's orbit. This number has more than doubled since the turn of the millennium. In contrast, far fewer countries possess the capability to conduct orbital launches themselves.
As satellite use becomes more widespread and sophisticated worldwide, private space flight companies have taken over the transport of many payloads into space, most prominently U.S. enterprise SpaceX founded by Elon Musk. The company also shoots a lot of their own satellites into space that form its satellite constellation for internet access, Starlink.
