US EditionStarlink plans to lower satellite orbit to enhance safety in 2026
SpaceX plans to lower 4,400 Starlink satellites to 480 km in 2026 to reduce collision risk and speed deorbiting, improving space safety amid growing orbital congestion.
- SpaceX has announced it will reconfigure its Starlink internet satellite constellation by lowering the orbit of more than 4,400 satellites throughout 2026.
- Lowering the satellites results in condensing Starlink orbits, and will increase space safety in several ways, including reducing the likelihood of collisions below 500km altitude.
- Benefits of the lower orbit include over 80% reduction in the time it takes for satellites to deorbit at the end of their service life due to increased atmospheric drag.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Starlink To Lower Thousands of Satellites in Orbit in 2026 To Boost Space Safety
Starlink is reshaping the skies. In a major update to its satellite internet network, the SpaceX-owned company has announced it will lower the orbits of around 4,400 satellites in 2026. The satellites, which currently operate at about 342 miles (550 kilometers) above Earth, will be repositioned to roughly 298 miles (480 kilometers), according to Starlink […] The post Starlink To Lower Thousands of Satellites in Orbit in 2026 To Boost Space Safet…
Starlink plans to lower satellite orbit to enhance safety in 2026
Starlink will begin a reconfiguration of its satellite constellation by lowering all of its satellites orbiting at around 550 km (342 miles) to 480 km over the course of 2026, Michael Nicolls, SpaceX's vice president of Starlink engineering, said on Thursday.
Starlink to lower its SpaceX satellites as near-misses pile up in low Earth orbit
Michael Nicolls, SpaceX's vice president of Starlink engineering, said on Thursday that all SpaceX satellites operating at around 550 kilometers (342 miles) will be reconfigured to a new 480 kilometers (298 mile) orbit across the course of the year.Read Entire Article
SpaceX will lower Starlink satellites to reduce collision risk
Starlink satellites with solar arrays deployed. | Image: SpaceX After one of its Starlink satellites exploded and another narrowly avoided colliding with a Chinese satellite, SpaceX says it will lower the orbit of thousands of Starlink satellites to increase safety. Of the over 9,000 Starlink satellites currently operating in low Earth orbit, SpaceX says it'll lower about 4,400 from 550km above the Earth's surface to about 480km in the months ah…
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