New to the catalogue
Every tracked object carries a NORAD catalogue number, assigned roughly in the order it entered the catalogue. This page lists the one hundred highest active numbers — in other words, the newest objects we track.
What counts as new?
// the factsThese are the one hundred newest entries in the catalogue. NORAD catalogue numbers are handed out in roughly launch order, so the highest numbers belong to the most recently catalogued objects — fresh launches, newly deployed satellites and newly identified debris.
New objects are at their most interesting now. Freshly deployed satellites are still manoeuvring into operational orbits, which is exactly when their altitude history is most dynamic — and when spotting them in the night sky is easiest, before they spread apart.
The list turns over with every launch. Each new batch of spacecraft pushes the previous entries off this page. Check back regularly to catch the latest objects as they arrive.