Space Logistics

The circulatory system of the space economy — how mass leaves Earth, moves through the orbital shells, and finds its way home again.

launches, 2026—
humans in space—
total launches ever—
next launch:
—

source: Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs) — live

The orbital shells

plan · launch · operate · recover · refurbish · reuse.

Low Earth Orbit hosts human spaceflight and most satellite constellations.
The Medium Earth shell carries navigation systems like GPS. Geostationary orbit holds communications and weather satellites in a fixed watch over the equator
— and a single elliptical burn, the Hohmann transfer, is still the most efficient way to move between them.

Earth orbital shells — LEO, MEO, GEO and Hohmann transferConcentric orbital shells around Earth showing LEO at 160–2000km, MEO at 2000–35786km hosting navigation satellites, and GEO at 35786km where satellites appear stationary. A dashed Hohmann transfer arc connects LEO to GEO.EARTHLEO160–2,000 kmMEO2,000–35,786 kmGEO35,786 kmISS · 408 kmHohmanntransferBurn 1Burn 2DebrisGPS sat.ISSHohmann transfer

orbital mechanics · the logistics cycle · caeloport

Essential sources

the primary record

nasa · primary archive

NASA Technical Reports Server

Over 500,000 technical documents on propulsion, orbital mechanics, and mission design. Free, searchable, authoritative.

ntrs.nasa.gov →
celestrak · tracking

CelesTrak Orbital Data

Real-time tracking data for every catalogued object in orbit. The de facto standard source for orbital mechanics research.

celestrak.org →
faa · official data

FAA Launch Vehicle Reliability Data

Official US government launch reliability statistics — success rates, failure analyses, and commercial licensing data.

faa.gov →
Caeloport — MMXXVI