SpaceX deorbits 260 Starlink satellites in six months

SpaceX intentionally deorbited 260 Starlink satellites between December 2025 and May 2026, according to a semi-annual report filed with the Federal Communications Commission earlier this month. The company stated that 176 of these were first-generation satellites, while 84 were from the newer second generation. An additional 349 satellites were decommissioned during the same six-month period and are slated for disposal in the near future.

The process is a routine part of maintaining the Starlink network, which now consists of over 10,000 operational satellites. Each satellite is designed with a lifespan of approximately five years. When a unit reaches the end of its service life and fuel is depleted, it uses its remaining propellant to lower its orbit and execute a controlled re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, where it is designed to burn up completely. Retrieving the satellites, which weigh between 573 and 650 pounds for first-generation models and 1,764 to 2,756 pounds for second-generation models, is considered technically difficult and economically impractical.

This steady turnover reflects SpaceX's ongoing hardware upgrades. The company is developing higher-capacity...