SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation flies in five distinct orbital shells - each at its own altitude and tilt. Click a shell below to isolate it and read its real published numbers.
Published figures (FCC authorization for SpaceX Starlink Gen1): Shell 1 sits at 550 km altitude and 53.0 degrees inclination with 1,584 satellites in 72 orbital planes of 22 each; Shell 2 at 540 km and 53.2 degrees with 1,584 satellites; Shell 3 at 570 km and 70.0 degrees with 720 satellites; Shells 4 and 5 near-polar at 560 km and 97.6 degrees with 348 and 172 satellites.
Drag to orbit Earth and scroll or pinch to zoom. Click any shell button to isolate it and dim the rest, or click "Show all shells" to see the full constellation together.
Starlink Constellation Shells 3D Explorer
This browser explorer draws the five real orbital shells of SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation, each colored and tilted to its own published altitude and inclination. Click a shell button to isolate it and read its real satellite count, or show all five together to see how the shells fit around Earth.
Starlink is not one orbit - it is a layered set of shells. Two of them share almost the same altitude and inclination (Shells 1 and 2, at 550 km/53.0 degrees and 540 km/53.2 degrees) to spread capacity across more orbital planes, while Shell 3 tilts further (70.0 degrees) and Shells 4 and 5 fly near-polar orbits (97.6 degrees) to cover high latitudes the lower-inclination shells miss.
- Click any of the five shell buttons to isolate that shell and dim the rest
- Read each shell's real altitude, inclination, and satellite count in the facts panel
- Shell 1's orbital-plane structure (72 planes of 22 satellites) is shown when selected
- Show all five shells together to see the full layered structure around Earth
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Shell | Altitude | Inclination | Satellites (design) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shell 1 | 550 km | 53.0 deg | 1,584 (72 planes x 22) |
| Shell 2 | 540 km | 53.2 deg | 1,584 |
| Shell 3 | 570 km | 70.0 deg | 720 |
| Shell 4 | 560 km | 97.6 deg (near-polar) | 348 |
| Shell 5 | 560 km | 97.6 deg (near-polar) | 172 |
| All five shells combined | design total | 4,408 | |
These numbers come from SpaceX's FCC authorization for the Starlink Gen1 constellation (docket SAT-LOA-20170726-00110 and its amendments), as reported after the 2021 shell-completion milestone. The live number of satellites actually on orbit changes daily as SpaceX launches replacements and retires old units - this page shows the authorized design capacity per shell, not a live tracker.
This page focuses on the shell STRUCTURE - altitude, inclination, and satellite count per shell. For a single satellite's real-time ground track, see ISS Orbit Tracker 3D. For the generic altitude bands that classify any satellite as LEO, MEO, or GEO (not specific to Starlink), see Satellite Orbit Classes 3D Explorer.
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached.
This is an educational approximation, not a live tracker: the radial spacing between shells is exaggerated here for visibility (the real altitudes are all within 540-570 km, less than 1 percent of Earth's radius apart), and each shell's dots are an illustrative sample rather than a 1-to-1 count of every satellite. Each shell's real altitude, inclination, and satellite count are shown as text and are accurate to the cited FCC filing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many orbital shells does Starlink use?
SpaceX's first-generation Starlink constellation is authorized by the FCC to fly in five shells, each at its own altitude and inclination: 550 km/53.0 degrees, 540 km/53.2 degrees, 570 km/70.0 degrees, and two near-polar shells at 560 km/97.6 degrees.
Why does Starlink use several shells instead of one orbit?
Different inclinations cover different latitude bands and spread the satellite count across more orbital planes, which increases coverage density and gives more routing paths between satellites. The two near-polar shells (97.6 degrees) reach high-latitude regions the lower-inclination shells cannot.
How many satellites are in each shell?
Per the FCC-authorized design: Shell 1 and Shell 2 each carry 1,584 satellites, Shell 3 carries 720, Shell 4 carries 348, and Shell 5 carries 172 - a design total of 4,408 across all five shells.
Does this page show the current live satellite count?
No. It shows the FCC-authorized design capacity per shell. The actual number of working satellites changes daily as SpaceX launches replacements and retires older units, so a live count would be out of date the moment it was published.
Why are the shells drawn farther apart than they really are?
In reality all five shells sit within 540 to 570 km altitude - under 1 percent of Earth's radius apart, so drawn to true scale they would overlap into one indistinguishable band. This page exaggerates the radial spacing so each shell's ring and inclination are visible individually; the real altitude is always shown as text.
How is this different from the Satellite Orbit Classes explorer?
Satellite Orbit Classes teaches the generic LEO/MEO/GEO altitude bands that apply to any satellite. This page is specific to one real megaconstellation - Starlink's actual five shells with their real published altitudes, inclinations, and satellite counts.