how many artificial spy satellites are actually orbitting the earth?

Question

Everyone knows that all the major countries have sent spy satellites on orbit to keep an eye on what their neighbours are going etc-do we know exactly-how many of such satellites are orbitting our earth actually?

Answer 1

Most of the information that you've asked for is probably classified by the governments that control the satellites. In general, the countries having space launch capabilities have spy satellites in geostationary orbit, in Low Earth Orbit, in diurnal orbits of high eccentricity, low perigee and moderate inclination, and they sometimes fire spy missiles on ballistic trajectories and collect the data from telemetry before the missiles crash.

Spy satellites carry multiple sensors that cover many different regions of the electromagnetic spectrum: radio, IR, visible, UV, and etc. They have various angular resolution powers, with a few being limited to a square kilometer or so on the ground, while others can photograph billboard signs clearly enough to read the print on them, sometimes.

I've heard speculation that governments in developed countries, particularly the US government, have a secret arrangement with telephone companies (both in the US and in other countries) whereby the companies monitor calls and uplink "interesting" ones to spy satellites for retransmission by laser or maser link to a groundsite controlled by the US government. Again, that's only speculation. I don't know whether it's true or not.

Satellites, reentering the atmosphere on parachutes after discarding their heatshields, were once recovered by big airplanes carrying huge dragnets through the air, but I don't know whether this is still done.

The USA might use its space shuttle to ferry up spy satellites (or military weapons) occasionally - some shuttles fly classified missions that the Americans, who were forced to pay the costs, don't have any legal right to know about. Of course, I don't really know.

Some people have suggested that the Hubble Space Telescope has a military mission, but I doubt it. Governments have lots of other snooping satellite scopes, and they probably wouldn't need to use Hubble. However, if they did use the HST for gathering military intelligence information, you can bet you'd not hear a word about it.

When you ponder what has been done with regard to spy satellites, you need only apply an old rule of politics. If something CAN be done by someone who will gain thereby, especially if he can make others pay the costs, then it WILL be done within a year, and possibly inside of an hour. That's true for what spy satellites can do. Taxpayers pay for them, so that governments can use them to better control the herd of taxpayers, among other things. So, of course, just about any spy capability that satellites can do is implemented almost as quickly as it becomes physically possible.

Answer 2

"everyone knows" - no, everyone does not know. There are in fact many people who have no idea what space or a satellite is.

"all major countries" - define "major country". I think there are one or two out there that, instead of launching their own spy satellites, rely on the satellites of others, don't you?

Perhaps the answer you seek is classified. Perhaps even asking the question leads to the triggering of certain events culminating in a knock on your door - oops, is someone at your door now?

Seriously, I thought "everybody knew" that we here in the US track not only every satellite, but every piece of space-junk in earth orbit too... you didn't know that? Go browse on the NASA website til you find the satellite tracker - it tells you cool stuff about when to see satellites passing in view of your local area. In fact, try googling that becasue there are other such sites out there.

So that's kinda the long way around your question to an answer that yes, there are some who know how many, but if they told you, they might just have to kill you...

(Just wait and see how many IDIOTS say I'm threatening you with the obvious JOKE... tee hee, laugh with me now children!)

Answer 3

The precise number is classified, but to get an idea of how many man-made objects are in orbit right now, check out this site.

http://science.nasa.gov/Realtime/jtrack/3d/JTrack3D.html

Answer 4

diegobas - don't you think you are saying too much. shhh. nothing to see here

Answer 5

I could tell you...but then I would have to kill you.