WASHINGTON, July 7 — SpaceX has deorbited and intentionally burned up 260 of its Starlink satellites in Earth’s atmosphere over the six-month period from January to June 2025, according to company operations data. Each satellite weighs approximately 2,700 pounds, or 1,225 kilograms. The total mass incinerated during those controlled re-entries comes to roughly 702,000 pounds — about 318,500 kilograms.
The process involves lowering the satellites’ orbits so they re-enter the atmosphere and burn up, a standard method for managing end-of-life spacecraft and limiting orbital debris. The scale of these disposals has drawn scrutiny from environmental scientists and regulators.
The satellites contain metals including aluminum and copper, along with other electronic materials. Researchers have raised concerns that burning such large amounts of metal and electronics in the upper atmosphere may release compounds that could affect the ozone layer or influence climate patterns. The Federal Communications Commission is currently considering a proposal that would exempt satellites from certain environmental review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act, known as NEPA.
If adopted, the rule change would streamline approval processes for large satellite constellations like Starlink. SpaceX has launched more than 6,000 Starlink satellites as of June 2025.
Of those, approximately 5,000 remain operational. The company’s long-term plans call for expanding the constellation to as many as 42,000 satellites.
The disposal method
Controlled deorbiting is not new. Satellite operators have long used atmospheric re-entry to dispose of spacecraft at the end of their useful lives. What is new is the scale.
The 260 satellites deorbited in the first half of 2025 represent a disposal campaign without precedent in the history of spaceflight, according to experts tracking the constellation. The deorbit process works by firing the satellite’s thrusters to lower its perigee — the closest point in its orbit to Earth — until atmospheric drag pulls the spacecraft into a terminal descent.
Friction with the air heats the satellite to temperatures that melt and vaporize its components. Most of the material burns up before reaching the ground. SpaceX has described the practice as responsible stewardship of orbital space.
By deorbiting satellites before they become uncontrolled debris, the company argues it is preventing the kind of fragmentation events that have created clouds of hazardous fragments in low Earth orbit.
Environmental questions
The environmental questions center on what happens to the vaporized metals and compounds once they are released into the upper atmosphere. Aluminum, a primary structural material in the satellites, can form aluminum oxide particles when burned. Copper and other metals produce their own compounds.
Some atmospheric scientists have warned that accumulating metal particles in the stratosphere could catalyze chemical reactions that deplete ozone. Others point to potential effects on the thermal balance of the atmosphere, as metal particles can absorb and scatter sunlight differently than natural aerosols.
The source material does not provide specific findings from peer-reviewed studies on these effects. It notes only that environmental scientists and regulators have raised concerns.
Regulatory crossroads
The FCC’s consideration of a NEPA exemption for satellites marks a key moment in the regulatory debate. NEPA requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impact of major actions they authorize. For satellite constellations, this has meant environmental reviews before the FCC grants licenses.
The proposed exemption would remove that requirement for satellite systems, effectively treating them as having no significant environmental impact. Critics argue this would bypass the very scrutiny needed to understand the atmospheric effects of large-scale satellite disposal.
Supporters of the exemption, including industry representatives, contend that the reviews are duplicative and slow down deployment of internet infrastructure that benefits underserved communities. The commission has not yet issued a final decision on the proposal.
What comes next
SpaceX continues to launch Starlink satellites at a pace that has reshaped the space industry. The company’s plans for up to 42,000 satellites mean the disposal campaigns will only grow larger if the constellation follows a similar replacement cycle. Each Starlink satellite has a design life of roughly five years.
Maintaining a fully operational constellation of tens of thousands of satellites would require continuous launches and continuous deorbits. The 260 satellites disposed of in the first half of 2025 may represent only a fraction of the disposal rate needed for a mature constellation.
The tension between expanding space-based internet infrastructure and managing the environmental consequences of satellite disposal is not likely to resolve soon. The FCC’s decision on the NEPA exemption will signal how regulators intend to balance these competing priorities. For now, the record shows that more than a quarter-million pounds of satellite hardware has been burned up in the atmosphere in six months — with the total set to rise.
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