260 Starlink Satellites Re-entered the Atmosphere in Six Months, SpaceX Tells FCC

Muhammad Asim

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July 7, 2026

Between December 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026, 260 Starlink satellites re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, SpaceX said in its latest semi-annual constellation status report to the Federal Communications Commission.

The company breaks the total down by generation: 176 first-generation satellites and 84 from the newer second generation. The filing also showed that hundreds of other satellites had already been taken out of active service and were at various stages of disposal. Meyka, which reviewed the filing, put that group at 349 satellites, still awaiting disposal in the coming months.

Planned, not a failure

SpaceX describes the deorbits as intentional and as routine fleet turnover, not a response to malfunctions. Retiring satellites is a normal part of running a big low-Earth orbit constellation, Fingerlakes1 noted. Spacecraft come down when their useful life ends, when they develop technical problems or when newer craft replace them. Launches and retirements happen at the same time on a network that SpaceX keeps refreshing and expanding.

The descent is controlled. A working satellite fires its onboard propulsion to drop its altitude. Drag then builds as it meets denser air, and the satellite falls faster until it re-enters. SpaceX has also described a re-entry plan that steers satellites toward remote stretches of ocean, away from populated areas and busy transport routes. The spacecraft are designed to break apart and burn up rather than leave large objects behind.

The numbers over time show how routine it has become. The latest count is higher than the 218 satellites disposed of in the preceding six months. It still trails the 472 deorbited between December 2024 and May 2025, which Meyka described as the largest six-month total on record. The company’s disposal reliability rate came in above 99%, ahead of the 95% the FCC requires of megaconstellation operators.

A very large constellation

Tracking estimates put the number of Starlink satellites in orbit above 10,000 by June 2026, by far the world’s largest active constellation. Fingerlakes1 said a network that size needs constant monitoring, collision avoidance, orbital adjustments and retirement planning.

Earlier this year, SpaceX said it would lower some 4,400 satellites from about 550 kilometers to about 480 kilometers. Lower orbits are expected to shorten the time it takes failed satellites to deorbit on their own, and to place spacecraft in a region with fewer tracked debris objects and planned constellations. Newer Starlink V3 satellites are already filling in for the retired hardware, according to Meyka.

Regulators are watching the pace. The FCC has historically excluded satellites from formal environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act, and advocacy groups want that exclusion removed, Meyka reported. Doing so would require full environmental impact statements before future launches are approved. The FCC, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Government Accountability Office are all involved in the debate.