Starlink: SpaceX deliberately destroys its own internet satellites

Since 2019, Starlink satellites have been providing stable internet even in remote regions of the world. However, as the years go by, the wear and tear on the parts naturally increases. Now the company, led by controversial tech visionary Elon Musk, wants to deliberately destroy some of its satellites to prevent space debris.

Starlink satellites threatened with self-destruction

In recent years, Starlink, the satellite internet of the aerospace company SpaceX, has made some positive headlines. For example, it provided Ukraine with stable internet shortly after the start of the Russian war of aggression. Starlink also proved to be a real savior during the floods in the Ahr valley, helping internet communication to get back on its feet after the catastrophic flooding. However, negative headlines have also accumulated over time. The hype surrounding satellite internet is not only a real threat to space travel, but also a problem for the research of meteorologists and astronomers. The reason for this is the constantly growing number of satellites orbiting the earth.

SpaceX now apparently wants to tackle this problem on its own. The company has announced that it intends to send almost 100 Starlink satellites into early retirement. The reason for this is the fact that some technical components of the metallic celestial bodies may soon give up the ghost and further operation would then most likely no longer be possible. In order to avoid the resulting space debris, the satellites are to be removed from service in advance. SpaceX wants to take advantage of the adverse conditions in orbit. During a controlled flight in the Earth’s atmosphere, they are to burn up without further ado. Could this be a solution to the problem of space debris caused by satellites?

First-generation satellites affected

SpaceX launched its first internet satellites into orbit almost five years ago. Although the company naturally planned a much longer lifespan for its maiden voyages, these satellites now have to retire early. The self-destruction is probably due to a technical problem shared by the affected satellites. Starlink has already seen what can happen if you ignore a technical problem on the satellites for too long. As a result, 17 satellites of the fleet, which now numbers almost 6,000, can no longer be controlled.

The only way to prevent the worst is to use the monitoring function. And that would be a collision with other satellites. To prevent this from happening in the first place, Starlink has already made use of the Earth’s hot atmosphere in the past and burnt up disused satellites there. The almost 100 satellites now facing a similar fate are to be destroyed in a slow process. Starlink estimates that it will take just under six months for them to enter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up.

Operation of Starlink is guaranteed

However, SpaceX is of course directly reassuring its own satellite internet customers. Although 100 satellites are leaving the fleet, the supply of new satellites is of course also planned. Elon Musk’s company is talking about 200 new satellites per month. In view of these figures, the satellites now being discarded really do seem like a drop in the ocean. With the constantly growing number of satellites in orbit, the question naturally arises as to how long such a “waste disposal” maneuver will be possible at all. Sooner or later, there will simply be no more space in orbit and the satellites will have to be maneuvered through a veritable maze.