Which Country Has The Most Active Military Satellites?

An abundance of satellites launched from countries around the world do everything from enabling reliable communication to providing vital internet services, and a lot more. However, when it comes to the number of military satellites, the United States leads the world, and it's not even close.

As of August 2025, there are 247 American military satellites in orbit around the Earth. China trails in the second spot with well below 200 at 157 satellites. Even further down the list is Russia with only 110. After the top three, it's an incredible drop-off. Rounding out the top five is France with 17 satellites and Israel with a mere 12. If you were to look at the top 10, Spain is at the bottom with only four military satellites.

Military satellites serve many functions, including surveillance, which is key to getting visual confirmation of weapon manufacturing, as well as tracking enemy forces. These satellites are also used for intercepting signals and can even detect enemy launches, giving enough time to organize an immediate response. Military satellites are important for everyday tasks too, like safeguarding against cyber attacks and gathering weather information, which can directly impact any active or upcoming missions.

The Cold War between the United States and Russia resulted in the deployment of military satellites, with the latter getting into orbit first. Russia's 1957 Sputnik launch was the first of many between the two countries. America answered with its principal reconnaissance satellite just three years later. The space race continued into the 1970s and '80s, with communication satellites becoming an important part of military operations.

Satellite Communications, or SATCOM, is an important system for countries around the world, not just the U.S. It works through a process that includes the satellites, SATCOM terminals, ground stations, and military infrastructure. Only when every component is working together is consistent radio communication possible. The ability to know when to move troops, ships, or vehicles hinges on the success of this system.

The use of SATCOM was especially effective during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Thanks to the U.S. government's use of GPS, the military could easily track Iraqi forces, which was extremely necessary due to challenging weather conditions. The system was also used for carrying out military strikes, even in the dead of night. Because of SATCOM, the operation was smooth, and U.S. forces stayed on task from start to finish.