From PC World: SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet continues to grow, but as it does, it’s been bringing lots of unexpected side effects with it.
According to astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, one to two Starlink satellites are re-entering Earth’s atmosphere and burning up every single day.
McDowell says this number could increase to five per day in the coming years if other networks, such as Amazon Kuiper or planned Chinese systems, join the fray. What does that mean for Earth?
Since the program first started in 2019, SpaceX has launched almost 10,000 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO). According to McDowell’s count, around 8,500 of them are currently active, while the rest are considered out of service or have already burned up.
As the satellites orbit Earth at an altitude of around 340 miles (550 kilometers), they slowly lose altitude over time due to the low air resistance and eventually re-enter the atmosphere. When they do, they burn up completely—but sometimes fragments reach the ground.
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