The number of satellites orbiting Earth could quintuple in the next decade

As you read this there are about 2,000 satellites orbiting above our heads, and apart from an occasional glimpse in the night sky, they’re pretty much invisible. But they have become a huge part of everyday life on Earth. Want to find your way around? Tap a button and your phone talks to a constellation of GPS satellites. Those stunning images of Arctic sea ice and animations of ocean-churning hurricanes? Satellite-based, of course. These days, the view from orbit is so ubiquitous that most of us have probably forgotten a time when it wasn’t part of our perspective. More

(Source: MIT Technology Review - Jun 27)