Of the more than 9,000 Starlink satellites currently operating in low Earth orbit, SpaceX says it will reduce about 4,400 from 550 km above Earth’s surface to about 480 km in the coming months. This ensures that satellites go out of orbit faster when something goes wrong or when they reach end-of-life, and also reduces the chance of collision because “the number of debris objects and planned satellite constellations below 500 km is significantly lower,” wrote Michael Nichols, vice president of Starlink engineering.
By the end of this decade, as many as 70,000 satellites could be active in low Earth orbit – the region of space about 160 km to 2,000 km (100 to 1,200 miles) above Earth – if private and government-led efforts meet their goals.
2025 was another record-setting year for SpaceX. It conducted more than 160 Falcon 9 missions, more than 120 of which were dedicated to expanding the Starlink constellation. Starlink now serves 9.25 million active customers in more than 155 countries, markets and territories.
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