← Aerospace & Space
Critical node· Aerospace & Space · Critical anchor
Starlink, SpaceX
Redmond (Washington), United States47.67°N 122.12°W
computed criticality26/100
reading
>7,000 active satellites mid-2025; ≈60% of all active satellites in orbit
2025Fault line
A single operator now runs the majority of humanity's active satellites and builds its own craft at a cadence of several thousand a year. This dominance makes Starlink a de facto communication infrastructure, used even on military fronts, under the control of a single private company. It also saturates low orbit, raising the question of debris and shared access.
Actors
SpaceX / Starlink (Redmond, Hawthorne)
Depends on 4
Xenon, ion propulsionAerospace & Space · Link↗Hydrazine propellants, ArianeGroup, LampoldshausenAerospace & Space · Link↗SpaceX engines, Merlin & RaptorAerospace & Space · Critical anchor↗SpaceX, Falcon 9 & orbital launchAerospace & Space · Critical anchor↗Feeds 1
Global network of submarine cablesChokepoints↗Sources