SpaceX's Explosive Starlink Solution after Serious Problem that could Wreck Human Civilization...

SpaceX's Explosive Starlink Solution after Serious Problem that could Wreck Human Civilization...
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#space #spacezone #spacex #starship
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SpaceX's Explosive Starlink Solution after Serious Problem that could Wreck Human Civilization...
SpaceX is having a problem. No, it’s not Starship this time. And it’s not the Falcon 9 either—that thing is still as reliable as ever. What I’m actually talking about is Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet constellation. So, what is actually happening, and more importantly, does SpaceX have a solution?
Not long ago, SpaceX announced plans to lower the orbits of some of its Starlink satellites. According to the company, the move is meant to improve space safety, especially after two recent incidents.
In a January 1 social media post, Michael Nicolls, SpaceX’s vice president of Starlink engineering, revealed a “significant reconfiguration” of the constellation. Satellites currently flying at around 550 kilometers will be lowered to about 480 kilometers. This change affects roughly 4,400 satellites out of the nearly 9,400 currently in orbit, and the transition will happen gradually throughout 2026. Nicolls said SpaceX will coordinate these moves with other satellite operators, regulators, and U.S. Space Command.
SpaceX's Explosive Starlink Solution after Serious Problem that could Wreck Human Civilization...
So why lower them? Nicolls explained that operating at lower altitudes improves safety in a few key ways. For one, if a satellite can’t deorbit itself, atmospheric drag will bring it down much faster. That becomes especially important as solar activity decreases over the next few years, which reduces atmospheric density in low Earth orbit. At solar minimum, uncontrolled satellites could take more than four years to reenter—but at lower altitudes, that time drops to just a few months.
Congestion is another reason. Below 500 kilometers, there are fewer satellites and debris objects overall, which lowers the risk of collisions. As a bonus, lower orbits can also slightly reduce latency and improve Starlink’s performance since the satellites are closer to the ground.
SpaceX's Explosive Starlink Solution after Serious Problem that could Wreck Human Civilization...
Nicolls added that these changes should help protect the constellation from harder-to-manage risks, like uncoordinated launches or maneuvers by other operators. That comment likely refers to an incident last month, when a satellite launched on a Chinese Kinetica-1 rocket reportedly passed within 200 meters of a Starlink satellite without any coordination.
Nicolls also mentioned that SpaceX currently has two nonoperational Starlink satellites in orbit, including one that recently malfunctioned. On December 18, SpaceX said a satellite called Starlink-35956 experienced an in-orbit anomaly the day before, causing propellant venting and the release of a small number of trackable objects.