SpaceX will decrease Starlink satellites to scale back collision threat

Of the over 9,000 Starlink satellites at the moment working in low Earth orbit, SpaceX says it’ll decrease about 4,400 from 550km above the Earth’s floor to about 480km within the months forward. This ensures the satellites deorbit sooner when one thing goes improper or once they attain finish of life, and it additionally reduces the probability of collision since “the variety of particles objects and deliberate satellite tv for pc constellations is considerably decrease under 500km,” wrote Michael Nicolls, VP of Starlink Engineering.

By the tip of this decade, there might be as many as 70,000 satellites working in low Earth orbit — the area of area about 160km to 2,000km (100 to 1,200 miles) above the Earth — if personal and government-led efforts meet their targets.

SpaceX had one other record-setting yr in 2025. It performed over 160 Falcon 9 missions, with greater than 120 of them devoted to increasing the Starlink constellation. Starlink now serves 9.25 million energetic prospects in over 155 international locations, markets, and territories.