However, experts believe that most of the declared satellites may remain only on paper. Evan Gray, a columnist for the SatNews portal, points out that such plans could be used to create regulatory barriers for competitors. The ITU considers reserved satellites as existing, which forces other companies to account for potential radio interference, thereby reducing the efficiency of their networks.
As Bloomberg reports, since 2020, the number of objects in orbit has quadrupled and exceeded 16,000. The European Space Agency notes that the density of satellites on key orbits is already reaching the level of space debris. Research shows that about 148,000 objects could fit in the current orbits, and at the current launch rates, this limit could be reached by the end of the 2030s.
SpaceX continues to stand out due to its reusable Falcon 9 rockets, which provide low costs and a high launch frequency—over 2,000 satellites per year. In turn, China is developing its own reusable rockets, but so far it cannot compete with the American company in these metrics.
