Track Globalstar satellites live

azmth currently tracks 36 Globalstar satellites in CelesTrak's active catalogue, as of 14 September 2026. Data from CelesTrak, refreshed every 2 hours.

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Globalstar is a low-Earth-orbit satellite network that carries satellite phone calls, SPOT messenger and Internet of Things traffic, and Apple's iPhone and Apple Watch satellite features, including Emergency SOS via satellite. azmth shows every Globalstar satellite in CelesTrak's active catalogue on a live 3D globe, counted live from CelesTrak data. The satellites in service orbit at about 1,414 km, inclined 52 degrees, while the eight replacement satellites launched on 16 August 2026 were still far below that altitude in September 2026.

Also called HIBLEO-4, HIBLEO-X

As of 14 September 2026, Globalstar is a low-Earth-orbit mobile satellite network, run by Globalstar, Inc., that serves satellite phones, SPOT messengers, Internet of Things devices and Apple's iPhone and Apple Watch satellite features; Amazon's agreed purchase of the company was still awaiting regulatory approvals, including the FCC's, and the first eight replacement satellites, launched on 16 August 2026, had not yet reached the working orbit.

TL;DR· 18 min read

Globalstar is a low-Earth-orbit mobile satellite network that carries satellite phone calls, SPOT messenger and Internet of Things traffic, and Apple's Emergency SOS via satellite, available on iPhone 14 since 15 November 2022; Apple provided 63 per cent of Globalstar's revenue in 2025. Globalstar's working satellites orbit at about 1,414 km, inclined 52 degrees, and relay signals to ground stations. CelesTrak's active catalogue lists 36 Globalstar satellites, a total that in September 2026 included eight replacement satellites launched on 16 August 2026 and still far below that orbit. Amazon agreed on 14 April 2026 to buy Globalstar, with closing expected in 2027.

in CelesTrak's active catalogue now

as of 14 September 2026

second-generation satellites in the operational orbit at about 1,414 km, per Jonathan McDowell

as of 10 September 2026 · source

63%

of Globalstar's 2025 revenue came from Apple, its wholesale capacity customer

as of 31 December 2025 · source

What Globalstar is

Globalstar is a low-Earth-orbit mobile satellite service (MSS) network that provides voice and data connections for satellite phones, personal trackers, Internet of Things devices and Apple's iPhone and Apple Watch satellite features, using the Big LEO frequency bands at 1.6 and 2.4 GHz. Its operator, Globalstar, Inc., compares the satellites to 'bent pipes' that relay signals between users and ground gateways, which route them into terrestrial networks, without processing them on board. The satellites in service orbit at about 1,414 km, inclined 52 degrees, in a constellation designed to maximise the chance that at least one satellite is in view from anywhere between 70 degrees north and 70 degrees south. Loral and Qualcomm founded Globalstar, which began commercial service in early 2000; on 14 September 2026 the company was awaiting regulatory approval of its sale to Amazon, announced on 14 April 2026.

Globalstar's operational orbit held 24 second-generation satellites on 13 September 2026, at about 1,413 to 1,415 km and 52.0 degrees, in eight orbital planes about 45 degrees apart with three satellites in each, according to azmth's analysis of CelesTrak orbital elements; Jonathan McDowell's statistics of 10 September 2026 also count 24 second-generation satellites in the operational orbit. CelesTrak's active catalogue lists 36 Globalstar satellites because it also includes satellites outside that shell. On 14 September 2026 those were the eight replacement satellites launched on 16 August 2026, at about 674 to 737 km; GLOBALSTAR M077, a second-generation satellite at about 1,830 km, consistent with the one second-generation satellite McDowell counts in a graveyard orbit; and three first-generation spares launched in 2007, M066, M069 and M072, at about 1,545 to 1,720 km. McDowell counts four first-generation satellites as still working, three of them with disposal under way. No Globalstar satellite that reached orbit has re-entered, so CelesTrak's full catalogue held 93 Globalstar payloads in orbit on 14 September 2026, 57 of them flagged non-operational, and McDowell counts 48 first-generation satellites in graveyard orbits and 8 as failed.

Globalstar's first generation began with a 1995 FCC authorisation for Loral/Qualcomm, L.P. to build, launch and operate up to 48 satellites, planned as six satellites in each of eight orbital planes. Between 14 February 1998, when a Delta II carried the first four from Cape Canaveral, and 8 February 2000, 14 launches carried 64 satellites: seven Delta II launches and six Soyuz-U/Ikar launches from Baikonur, each with four satellites, and a Zenit-2, also from Baikonur, that failed during its second stage on 9 September 1998 and destroyed all 12 satellites aboard. Commercial service began in early 2000, and at the end of 2001 Globalstar, L.P. reported about 66,000 commercial subscribers and 52 satellites in orbit, including two failed satellites kept as in-orbit testbeds and one spare in a 920 km phasing orbit, with eight more spares on the ground. By 2006 Globalstar attributed eight of its nine first-generation satellite failures to a common anomaly in the S-band antenna, first seen in March 2001, and had reduced its operating structure from six to five satellites in each plane. The eight ground spares were launched from Baikonur on two Soyuz-FG/Fregat rockets, on 29 May and 20 October 2007, and Globalstar later told the FCC that the first-generation satellites had an average life span of 7.5 years.

Globalstar, Inc. says it completed the acquisition of the business and assets of the original partnership, Globalstar, L.P., in 2004, after that partnership and three of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware on 15 February 2002; Thermo became the new company's principal owner in 2004. In December 2006 Globalstar ordered 48 second-generation satellites from Alcatel Alenia Space, later Thales Alenia Space, under a contract of about 661 million euros, of which 620 million covered the satellites and 41 million launch and mission support. Four Soyuz-2-1a/Fregat rockets launched 24 of them from Baikonur, six at a time, on 19 October 2010, 13 July 2011, 28 December 2011 and 6 February 2013, and a 25th, catalogued as GLOBALSTAR M087, followed on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral on 19 June 2022. An arbitration award on 10 May 2012 released Thales from delivering further satellites, and a settlement on 24 June 2012 came with an agreement for six more that depended on financing; azmth found no evidence that any of those six were built, and only 25 second-generation satellites appear in CelesTrak's catalogue. Globalstar licenses the second generation through France as the HIBLEO-X system, to which the FCC granted US market access on 18 March 2011, and expects the satellites to provide commercial service over a 15-year design life, without assurance that all of them will.

Apple is Globalstar's largest customer, accounting for 63 per cent of Globalstar's total revenue in 2025, 58 per cent in 2024 and 49 per cent in 2023 through a wholesale capacity arrangement, according to Globalstar's annual report, which calls it 'the Customer'; Globalstar's April 2026 filing on the Amazon merger names the Customer as Apple. On 10 November 2022 Apple said that $450 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund provided the infrastructure for Emergency SOS via satellite, and that each message is received by one of Globalstar's 24 satellites and sent down to ground stations, new ones in Nevada and Hawaii and existing facilities in Texas, Alaska, Florida and Puerto Rico. The service became available on all iPhone 14 models in the United States and Canada on 15 November 2022, free for two years. Under agreements disclosed in Globalstar's filings, Apple pays 95 per cent of approved capital spending on the new satellites, including launch costs, and Globalstar allocates 85 per cent of its network capacity to Apple's services. On 29 October 2024 the companies agreed an infrastructure prepayment of up to $1.1 billion for a new satellite network, paid quarterly during construction, Apple's purchase of a 20 per cent stake in the subsidiary Globalstar Licensee LLC for $400 million, and the acceleration of $30 million of annual service fees. An amendment on 13 April 2026 raised the prepayment ceiling by about $468 million to about $1.58 billion, and by 30 June 2026 Globalstar had received $813.4 million, which it expects to repay by offsetting it against Apple's service payments. Apple Watch Ultra 3, announced on 9 September 2025, added Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite, with connectivity Apple credits to Globalstar and its affiliates.

Globalstar's replacement programme covers at least 17 satellites, and up to 26, ordered from MDA Space under a 2022 agreement to replace the US-licensed HIBLEO-4 system, at an amended contract price of $329.3 million for 17. Rocket Lab builds the satellites' 500 kg buses, based on its Lightning design, in Long Beach, California, under a $143 million contract for 17 announced in February 2022, and MDA Space developed, integrated and tested the satellites in Montreal; MDA describes them as the first low-Earth-orbit satellites it has delivered as prime contractor for a commercial communications constellation. On 16 August 2024 the FCC's Space Bureau authorised Globalstar to deploy up to 17 replacement satellites, deferred action on the rest of the 26 Globalstar had applied for until an updated orbital debris mitigation plan is approved, extended the licence for a new 15-year term ending on 4 October 2039, and denied a petition by SpaceX to deny the application. Globalstar told the FCC that it would first launch eight HIBLEO-4 replacement satellites and combine them with the second-generation HIBLEO-X satellites in a Walker 32 constellation for most of the new licence term, and would eventually retire all the HIBLEO-X satellites to leave a constellation of 26 HIBLEO-4 satellites. According to the order, the replacement satellites are to be deployed at an initial altitude of 680 to 700 km, operated at 1,414 km, give or take 10 km, and at the end of their missions lowered by electric propulsion to about 400 km, from which they will re-enter within five years.

Globalstar's first eight replacement satellites launched on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral at 01:12 UTC on 16 August 2026 (9:12 p.m. EDT on 15 August), on the 14th flight of booster B1090. The launch came later than planned: MDA's projected delivery dates fell after those in the procurement agreement, which entitles Globalstar to liquidated damages that the two companies were still discussing in mid-2026, and the first set of satellites was delivered in April 2026, repaired and re-delivered in July. Globalstar had expected the launch in the first half of 2026, then in May 2026 and then in the third quarter. Globalstar said on 16 August 2026 that all eight had reached their intended orbital planes and were under its command and control, and that testing and calibration would come before they joined the operational constellation. On 14 September 2026 seven of them were at about 674 by 688 km and GLOBALSTAR M104 at about 724 by 737 km, all at 52.0 degrees, near the initial altitude described in the FCC's 2024 order and far below the 1,414 km working orbit; Jonathan McDowell classed all eight as drifting on 10 September 2026. MDA Space said on 16 August 2026 that the other nine were in the final stages of integration, and Globalstar's quarterly report for the period to 30 June 2026 expects the second launch later in 2026, without giving a date.

Globalstar's planned third-generation system, C-3, is a constellation of 48 satellites, according to the FCC. Globalstar agreed in February 2025 to buy more than 50 third-generation satellites from MDA Space, at a total contract price of $775.0 million according to its quarterly report for the period to 30 June 2026; SpaceNews reported the contract on 10 February 2025 at C$1.1 billion, about US$768 million, and said the satellites would use MDA's Aurora platform. The FCC describes C-3 as licensed by France through Globalstar's subsidiary Globalstar France SAS under the AST-NG-C-3 filing at the International Telecommunication Union, while Globalstar's annual report for 2025 says it has applied to the French government for authority to launch and operate the system. Globalstar's petition for US market access for C-3, filed on 14 February 2025 and accepted for filing on 30 May 2025, was still pending on 4 June 2026. Globalstar's annual report for 2025 also describes a ground expansion of about 90 new antennas across 35 ground stations in 25 countries, with construction under way at most sites and complete at some.

Globalstar is authorised to use 11.5 MHz of its satellite spectrum, 2483.5 to 2495 MHz, for terrestrial broadband across the United States and its territories. An FCC Report and Order adopted on 22 December 2016 (FCC 16-181) let Globalstar seek authority for that low-power terrestrial network; the mobile standards body 3GPP approved the band as Band 53 in December 2018 and added 5G status as n53 in the first quarter of 2020, and at the end of 2025 Globalstar held terrestrial licences in 12 countries, about 12.0 billion MHz-POPs. On 23 April 2026 the FCC's Space Bureau reaffirmed licensees' exclusive rights to certain mobile satellite bands, dismissing with prejudice requests by SpaceX, Kepler, Sateliot and AST to use specific bands, and petitions by SpaceX and Iridium to change the plan for the 1.6/2.4 GHz band that Globalstar uses.

Amazon announced on 14 April 2026 a definitive agreement, signed the day before, to acquire Globalstar; Bloomberg had reported on 30 October 2025 that Globalstar was exploring strategic options including a sale. Each Globalstar share is to receive $90.00 in cash or 0.3210 Amazon shares, capped at $90.00 in value, with cash elections limited to 40 per cent of shares, reduced by any payment Globalstar owes Apple for missing operational milestones for C-3, spread across the shares; the maximum payment was $110 million at signing and about $97 million on 18 August 2026, after Globalstar met some milestones. Closing is expected in 2027 and depends on approvals from the FCC and French authorities including ANFR and ARCEP, on milestones for launching and operating the HIBLEO-4 replacement satellites and, as a condition for Amazon, on government authorisations for C-3. The US antitrust (HSR) waiting period expired on 17 July 2026. The FCC accepted the transfer-of-control application, filed on 26 May 2026, on 4 June 2026 in GN Docket 26-134; by 14 September 2026 the docket held a petition to dismiss from Yippy, Inc., comments, the applicants' joint opposition and a letter update from the companies, but no FCC decision. After closing, Globalstar would become a wholly owned Amazon subsidiary operating as an affiliate of Kuiper Systems LLC, and Amazon would also acquire Apple's 20 per cent stake in Globalstar Licensee LLC.

Amazon's plans for the Apple services that Globalstar carries are announcements. Amazon said on 14 April 2026 that it had agreed with Apple for Amazon Leo to provide satellite connectivity for iPhone 14 and later and Apple Watch Ultra 3, and that Amazon Leo will begin deploying its own next-generation direct-to-device satellite system in 2028. On 24 July 2026 Amazon's Kuiper Systems applied to the FCC for up to 5,105 direct-to-device satellites that would use the 1.6/2.4 GHz band after the Globalstar deal closes, an application that was still pending.

How to find them on the globe

CelesTrak names every Globalstar satellite GLOBALSTAR followed by M and a three-digit serial that runs across generations, from M001 to M072 for the first generation, M073 to M097 for the second and M098 onward for the replacement satellites launched from August 2026, so GLOBALSTAR M087 is the second-generation satellite launched in 2022. On 14 September 2026 the active catalogue the globe draws on held M066, M069 and M072 (first-generation spares), M073 to M097 (the second generation), and M098 to M102 and M104 to M106 (the replacements), with no M103 because it has not launched. The 57 retired Globalstar satellites still in orbit, such as M070, appear only in CelesTrak's full catalogue, and the 12 serials lost in the 1998 launch failure were never catalogued.

Coverage and service

Globalstar sells satellite service through three product lines as well as wholesale capacity for Apple, according to its annual report for 2025: Duplex two-way voice and data for satellite phones; SPOT personal trackers and messengers, including SPOT Gen4, the two-way SPOT X and SPOT Trace; and Commercial IoT devices and modules such as SmartOne Solar, the ST100 transmitter and the two-way RM200M module released in October 2025. Globalstar reported about 791,000 MSS subscribers on 31 December 2025, and in the second quarter of 2026 it averaged 803,980 subscribers (580,427 Commercial IoT, 207,606 SPOT and 15,755 Duplex) and reported revenue of $64.8 million. Apple's Emergency SOS via satellite, which uses Globalstar's satellites, has been available on iPhone 14 models in the United States and Canada since 15 November 2022, and Apple Watch Ultra 3, announced on 9 September 2025, offers Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite with connectivity Apple credits to Globalstar; Apple offered both free for two years. Globalstar says it serves more than 120 countries through 24 ground stations on six continents, and its constellation is designed to maximise the chance of at least one satellite being in view anywhere between 70 degrees north and 70 degrees south. Globalstar's space station licence covers user links at 1610 to 1626.5 MHz (Earth to space) and 2483.5 to 2500 MHz (space to Earth); the company also holds feeder-link earth station licences at six US gateway sites, and it controls the constellation from network operations control centres in France, Texas and Louisiana.

What we know

Operator: Globalstar, Inc., with 477 employees in fifteen countries as of 31 December 2025 · sec.gov
Pending sale: To Amazon, under an agreement announced on 14 April 2026: $90.00 in cash or 0.3210 Amazon shares per Globalstar share, less any payment owed to Apple for missed C-3 milestones (at most about $97 million); closing expected in 2027 as of 18 August 2026 · sec.gov
FCC review of the sale: Transfer-of-control application accepted on 4 June 2026 in GN Docket 26-134; no FCC decision in the docket as of 14 September 2026 · fcc.gov
Service: Mobile satellite service (MSS) voice and data in the Big LEO 1.6/2.4 GHz band as of 4 June 2026 · docs.fcc.gov
Operational orbit: About 1,414 km, inclined 52.0 degrees; 24 second-generation satellites in eight planes of three (azmth analysis of CelesTrak elements) as of 13 September 2026 · celestrak.org
Coverage design: Designed to maximise the chance of at least one satellite in view between 70 degrees north and 70 degrees south as of 27 February 2026 · sec.gov
Frequencies: User links 1610 to 1626.5 MHz (Earth to space) and 2483.5 to 2500 MHz (space to Earth); feeder links 5091 to 5250 MHz and 6875 to 7055 MHz as of 4 June 2026 · docs.fcc.gov
Licences: US-licensed HIBLEO-4 system, with a licence term ending on 4 October 2039; French-licensed second-generation HIBLEO-X system as of 16 August 2024 · docs.fcc.gov
Active catalogue by generation: 3 first-generation spares (M066, M069, M072), 25 second-generation satellites (M073 to M097) and 8 replacement satellites (M098 to M102, M104 to M106) as of 14 September 2026 · celestrak.org
CelesTrak full catalogue: 93 Globalstar payloads in orbit, 36 flagged operational and 57 non-operational; none has re-entered as of 14 September 2026 · celestrak.org
Independent tracking: 105 launched, 12 lost in a launch failure, 93 in orbit and 36 working: 24 second-generation in the operational orbit, 8 replacements drifting and 4 first-generation, 3 of them with disposal under way (Jonathan McDowell) as of 10 September 2026 · planet4589.org
Launched by generation: First generation 72 (1998 to 2007, 12 of them lost at launch); second generation 25 (2010 to 2022); replacements 8 of 17 (August 2026) as of 10 September 2026 · planet4589.org
Second-generation design life: 15 years expected, with no assurance that all satellites will last that long as of 27 February 2026 · sec.gov
Replacement order: At least 17 (up to 26) from MDA Space to replace the HIBLEO-4 system, at an amended $329.3 million for 17 as of 30 June 2026 · sec.gov
Next replacement launch (target): Second set of the 17 replacement satellites expected to launch later in 2026; no date given as of 6 August 2026 · sec.gov
Third generation (C-3): Ordered from MDA Space in February 2025: more than 50 third-generation satellites, for a total contract price of $775.0 million as of 30 June 2026 · sec.gov
Subscribers: 803,980 on average in the second quarter of 2026: 580,427 Commercial IoT, 207,606 SPOT and 15,755 Duplex as of 30 June 2026 · sec.gov
Largest customer: Apple (the 'Customer' in Globalstar's annual report), 63 per cent of 2025 revenue as of 31 December 2025 · sec.gov
Apple prepayment: Ceiling raised to about $1.58 billion on 13 April 2026; $813.4 million received by 30 June 2026 as of 30 June 2026 · sec.gov
Ground segment: 24 ground stations on six continents, serving more than 120 countries, according to Globalstar's website (undated) as of 14 September 2026 (date checked) · globalstar.com
Terrestrial spectrum: 11.5 MHz at 2483.5 to 2495 MHz (3GPP Band 53); terrestrial licences in 12 countries as of 31 December 2025 · sec.gov

Timeline

1995
The FCC authorises Loral/Qualcomm, L.P. to build, launch and operate up to 48 first-generation Globalstar satellites. docs.fcc.gov
14 February 1998
The first four Globalstar satellites, M001 to M004, launch from Cape Canaveral. celestrak.org
9 September 1998
A Zenit-2 launched from Baikonur fails in second-stage flight, destroying the 12 Globalstar satellites it carries. cbsnews.com
8 February 2000
The last of 14 first-generation launches brings the total to 64 satellites launched, 52 of which reached orbit. planet4589.org
2000
Globalstar begins commercial service in early 2000. sec.gov
15 February 2002
Globalstar, L.P. and certain of its subsidiaries file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. sec.gov
2004
A new company, with Thermo as principal owner, acquires the business and assets of Globalstar, L.P. sec.gov
December 2006
Globalstar signs a contract of about 661 million euros with Alcatel Alenia Space for 48 second-generation satellites. sec.gov
29 May 2007
Four first-generation spare satellites launch from Baikonur; four more follow on 20 October 2007. celestrak.org
19 October 2010
The first six second-generation satellites launch from Baikonur. celestrak.org
18 March 2011
The FCC grants US market access to Globalstar's French-licensed second-generation system. docs.fcc.gov
6 February 2013
A fourth launch of six from Baikonur completes the set of 24 second-generation satellites. celestrak.org
22 December 2016
The FCC adopts Report and Order 16-181, letting Globalstar seek authority for a low-power terrestrial network at 2483.5 to 2495 MHz. docs.fcc.gov
December 2018
3GPP approves Globalstar's 2483.5 to 2495 MHz band as Band 53. sec.gov
19 June 2022
The 25th second-generation satellite, catalogued as GLOBALSTAR M087, launches from Cape Canaveral. celestrak.org
10 November 2022
Apple says $450 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund supports Emergency SOS via satellite, whose messages are received by Globalstar's satellites. apple.com
15 November 2022
Apple's Emergency SOS via satellite becomes available on all iPhone 14 models in the United States and Canada, free for two years. apple.com
16 August 2024
The FCC authorises Globalstar to deploy up to 17 HIBLEO-4 replacement satellites, defers the rest of the 26 applied for and extends the licence to 4 October 2039. docs.fcc.gov
29 October 2024
Globalstar and Apple agree an infrastructure prepayment of up to $1.1 billion and Apple's $400 million purchase of a 20 per cent stake in Globalstar's licensee subsidiary. sec.gov
February 2025
Globalstar agrees with MDA Space to build more than 50 third-generation C-3 satellites, and on 14 February 2025 petitions the FCC for US market access for C-3. sec.gov
9 September 2025
Apple announces Apple Watch Ultra 3, with Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite provided by Globalstar. apple.com
30 October 2025
Bloomberg reports that Globalstar is exploring strategic options, including a sale. sec.gov
14 April 2026
Amazon announces a definitive agreement to acquire Globalstar, expected to close in 2027. sec.gov
23 April 2026
The FCC's Space Bureau reaffirms exclusive rights in mobile satellite bands and dismisses requests by SpaceX and others to use them. docs.fcc.gov
4 June 2026
The FCC accepts the Globalstar and Amazon transfer-of-control application for filing in GN Docket 26-134. docs.fcc.gov
17 July 2026
The US antitrust (HSR) waiting period for the Amazon deal expires. sec.gov
24 July 2026
Amazon's Kuiper Systems applies to the FCC for up to 5,105 direct-to-device satellites that would use Globalstar's 1.6/2.4 GHz band after the deal closes. satnews.com
16 August 2026
Globalstar confirms that a Falcon 9 has launched its first eight HIBLEO-4 replacement satellites (on the evening of 15 August, US Eastern time), which reached their intended orbital planes and will be commissioned before joining the constellation. globenewswire.com

Commonly got wrong

(1) Counts of Globalstar satellites disagree because sources count different things. Apple said in November 2022 that Emergency SOS messages reach one of Globalstar's 24 satellites. The FCC's order of 16 August 2024 said Globalstar operated seven US-licensed first-generation satellites alongside 24 French-licensed second-generation ones. Jonathan McDowell counted 36 working on 10 September 2026: 24 in the operational orbit, 8 replacements drifting and 4 first-generation. CelesTrak, whose active catalogue gives this page's live figure of 36, flagged 36 as operational on 14 September 2026, including the 8 replacement satellites still far below the working orbit, M077 at about 1,830 km and three first-generation spares 130 to 300 km above the shell. McDowell classes three of his four working first-generation satellites as having disposal under way, while CelesTrak flags M070 as non-operational although it sits in the shell at 1,413 by 1,414 km. A name search of CelesTrak's full catalogue returns 93 Globalstar satellites in orbit, 57 of them non-operational.
(2) The names HIBLEO-4 and HIBLEO-X describe licences, and they do not line up neatly with generations. In FCC and Globalstar documents HIBLEO-4 is the US-licensed system, which covered the first generation and now also covers the 17 replacement satellites ordered from MDA Space, while HIBLEO-X is the French-licensed second generation. Gunter's Space Page calls the 2026 satellites 'Globalstar-2 replacement', Jonathan McDowell lists their launch as Globalstar 2R-1 and MDA calls the mission Globalstar 2-R, so both trackers group them with the second generation. According to Globalstar's annual report, they are a separate order from the more than 50 third-generation C-3 satellites MDA agreed to build in February 2025. CelesTrak's M numbers run through all of them, and there is no M103 because it has not launched; Gunter's Space Page tentatively assigns it to the second batch of nine, and its own pages overlap, listing M098 to M102 both as cancelled Thales Alenia satellites and as replacements.
(3) Several dates and figures differ between sources. The first replacement launch lifted off at 9:12 p.m. EDT on 15 August 2026, the date MDA, Rocket Lab and Spaceflight Now give, which was 01:12 UTC on 16 August, the date in Globalstar's release, in the international designator 2026-185 and in CelesTrak's catalogue. Globalstar, L.P.'s annual report for 2001 says commercial service began in early 2000, and the FCC dates it to 2000, while Gunter's Space Page gives the third quarter of 1999. Gunter's Space Page gives the operating altitude as 1,410 km, where the FCC and CelesTrak's elements put it at about 1,414 km. Globalstar applied to the FCC to operate up to 26 replacement satellites, but the FCC's order of 16 August 2024 authorised it to deploy up to 17 and deferred the rest pending an updated orbital debris mitigation plan.
(4) Figures for Apple's investment in Globalstar are often combined or confused. MacRumors wrote on 27 May 2026 that Apple originally invested $450 million in 2022, but $450 million is the sum from Apple's Advanced Manufacturing Fund that Apple said on 10 November 2022 supported Emergency SOS via satellite. Globalstar's filings describe separate arrangements: agreements from 2022 under which Apple pays 95 per cent of approved capital spending on new satellites, and agreements of 29 October 2024 under which Apple bought its 20 per cent stake in Globalstar Licensee LLC for $400 million and agreed an infrastructure prepayment of up to $1.1 billion. SpaceNews put Apple's commitment at $1.7 billion on 10 February 2025, a total that matches neither those two filed components nor the prepayment ceiling of about $1.58 billion set by an amendment on 13 April 2026.

Sources

Checked on 14 September 2026. Where official statements and independent tracking disagree, both are given. The live count above comes from the catalogue, not from this research.

Frequently asked

How many Globalstar satellites are there?

CelesTrak's active catalogue lists 36 Globalstar satellites. On 14 September 2026 the Globalstar satellites in that catalogue were 24 second-generation satellites in the operational orbit at about 1,414 km, eight replacement satellites launched on 16 August 2026 that were still far below that orbit, one second-generation satellite (GLOBALSTAR M077) at about 1,830 km and three first-generation spares from 2007 above the working shell. Jonathan McDowell counted 36 working Globalstar satellites on 10 September 2026. Another 57 retired Globalstar satellites remain in orbit, flagged non-operational in CelesTrak's full catalogue, and 12 were destroyed in a launch failure on 9 September 1998.

Does the iPhone use Globalstar satellites?

Yes. Apple's Emergency SOS via satellite, available on iPhone 14 models in the United States and Canada since 15 November 2022, sends messages through Globalstar's satellites to ground stations, according to Apple, and Apple Watch Ultra 3, announced on 9 September 2025, uses Globalstar for Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite. Apple provided 63 per cent of Globalstar's revenue in 2025, and Globalstar allocates 85 per cent of its network capacity to Apple's services. Amazon, which agreed in April 2026 to buy Globalstar, says it has agreed with Apple that Amazon Leo will provide satellite connectivity for iPhone 14 and later and Apple Watch Ultra 3.

Is Amazon buying Globalstar?

Amazon announced on 14 April 2026 a definitive agreement to acquire Globalstar for $90.00 in cash or 0.3210 Amazon shares, capped at $90.00 in value, for each Globalstar share, with cash limited to 40 per cent of shares and the price reduced by any payment Globalstar owes Apple for missed C-3 milestones. As of 14 September 2026 the deal had not closed: the US antitrust waiting period expired on 17 July 2026, but the FCC had not ruled on the transfer application it accepted on 4 June 2026. Closing is expected in 2027 and also depends on French approvals, on milestones for launching and operating Globalstar's replacement satellites and on government authorisations for its planned C-3 system. Globalstar would then operate as an Amazon subsidiary affiliated with Kuiper Systems LLC.

How high are Globalstar satellites?

Globalstar satellites in service orbit at about 1,414 km, inclined 52 degrees, the altitude at which the FCC's 2024 order has Globalstar's replacement satellites operate, give or take 10 km. In CelesTrak's elements for 13 September 2026 the 24 second-generation satellites in that shell flew at 1,413 to 1,415 km in eight planes of three. The eight replacement satellites launched on 16 August 2026 were at about 674 to 737 km on 14 September 2026, while three first-generation spares and one second-generation satellite flew higher, between about 1,545 and 1,830 km.

When is the next Globalstar launch?

Globalstar's next launch, of the second set of its 17 HIBLEO-4 replacement satellites, is expected later in 2026 according to its quarterly report for the period to 30 June 2026, and no date had been announced as of 14 September 2026. MDA Space said on 16 August 2026 that the remaining nine were in the final stages of integration. The first eight launched on a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral at 01:12 UTC on 16 August 2026 (9:12 p.m. EDT on 15 August), and Globalstar said they had reached their intended orbital planes and would be commissioned before joining the operational constellation.

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