Iridium: Coverage Everywhere
Iridium is the only satellite network that covers the entire planet, poles included, with satellites that talk directly to each other in orbit. AstroSat tracks the current NEXT-generation fleet live.
The numbers right now
As of August 3, 2026, AstroSat is tracking 106 satellites in this constellation — about 0.6% of every active satellite currently tracked, out of 18,436 active satellites in total.
This is a live catalogue count, not a fixed design figure: it includes retired and spare satellites that are still in orbit and still being tracked, which is why it can differ from the “official” constellation size. Refreshed automatically from Space-Track every two hours.
What makes Iridium unusual
Genuinely global
66 operational satellites in six polar planes at about 780 km give continuous coverage of every point on Earth — including the poles and mid-ocean, where geostationary networks simply cannot reach.
Satellites relay to each other
Iridium satellites are cross-linked, passing calls between themselves in orbit. Most constellations must bounce every connection off a ground station, which is impossible over open ocean.
It carries distress calls
The network underpins satellite messengers and emergency beacons used by sailors, pilots and hikers far outside any mobile coverage.
The flares are gone
The original satellites had large flat antennas that mirrored the Sun into brief, spectacularly bright flashes. The NEXT satellites that replaced them are shaped differently and do not flare — a genuinely lost sight.
Iridium flares were once a staple of amateur observing: predictable, dated to the second, and bright enough to outshine any planet in the sky. They ended with the original constellation, which was fully replaced by Iridium NEXT between 2017 and 2019 — the new satellites simply lack the flat reflective antennas that caused them. The company's history is nearly as dramatic: it went bankrupt in 1999, months after launch, and the original fleet came close to being deliberately deorbited before it was bought for a small fraction of its build cost. One of those first-generation satellites, Iridium 33, was destroyed in 2009 in the first accidental collision between two intact satellites, scattering debris that is still tracked today. Alongside working satellites, this page's live count includes retired first-generation objects that remain catalogued in orbit.
Frequently asked questions
How many Iridium satellites are there?
66 operational satellites plus in-orbit spares. The live count here also includes older first-generation objects that are still tracked but no longer in service.
Can you still see Iridium flares?
No. The flares came from the original satellites' flat antennas, and those were all replaced by Iridium NEXT between 2017 and 2019. The current satellites do not produce them.
How is Iridium different from Starlink?
Iridium is a narrowband voice and messaging network built for global coverage with 66 satellites; Starlink is a broadband internet network using thousands. Iridium reaches the poles and mid-ocean, which matters for shipping, aviation and emergency beacons.
How high do Iridium satellites orbit?
About 780 km, in six near-polar orbital planes — higher than Starlink, lower than OneWeb.