Every Satellite, ever

The shockingly short life span of man made satellites and the rise and fall of their population

An Information Visualization that uses the metaphors of human life expectancy and population growth to drive home data regarding the relatively short history of man made satellites in earth orbit.

Growth Rate of Satellites shows the explosive population growth of satellites starting in the 1950′s and ’60s followed by a marked drop-off at the end of the Cold War in the late ‘80s.

Life Span of Satellites compares the life spans of satellites and humans to demonstrate just how many satellites die in their infancy.

Made with data from Union of Concerned Scientists, NASA, Center for Space Standards and Innovation, the UN, Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Wikipedia, and Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.