SpaceX forced 260 of its Starlink satellites into the atmosphere for disposal during the six months from Dec. 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026.
The count comes from the company’s twice-yearly compliance filing to the Federal Communications Commission. In that document, SpaceX said 176 of the spacecraft belonged to the first-generation network. The remaining units came from Gen2.
A further 349 were decommissioned over that stretch and await disposal in the coming months.
The constellation now has more than 10,000 satellites in service. Gadget Review compared the fleet management to a streaming service that cycles titles out of its catalog.
The removals are routine. In the earlier six-month block, December 2024 through May 2025, SpaceX took down 472 satellites, nearly twice the latest number.
Data compiled by astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell puts the total number of Starlink reentries at 1,357.
Gen 1 hardware weighed 573 to 650 pounds. Gen 2 spacecraft are heavier, at 1,764 to 2,756 pounds. SpaceX has said retrieval is not practical. When a satellite reaches the end of its life, it uses leftover fuel to drop into a lower orbit. Friction with the atmosphere then destroys the spacecraft before it can become dead hardware.
Each Starlink is built to operate for about five years. Older units give way to newer models as their fuel runs low. Gadget Review called the approach planned obsolescence baked into the design from the start.
Expansion
SpaceX has long planned for a network of up to 42,000 satellites. In January, the FCC cleared 7,500 more Gen2 spacecraft. That plan guarantees faster retirement rates, according to Gadget Review. Starlink Mobile, a direct-to-phone service, is also part of the expansion.
The company maintains that the satellites burn up completely and leave no debris. Regulators have mostly accepted that view, the outlet reported.
Atmospheric concerns
Researchers who study megaconstellation re-entries want more investigation into cumulative atmospheric effects. At this scale, metal particles and aluminum oxides from reentries raise chemistry questions that have not been settled, Gadget Review reported. The FCC has put forward a proposal that would remove space operations from NEPA environmental review, on the argument that they are extraterritorial. That proposal has not been approved.
Orbital compute plans
SpaceX’s ambitions now extend beyond broadband. The company has asked the FCC for permission to operate up to 1 million compute satellites. It also described an AI1 design and a Terafab chip factory in Bastrop, Texas, with a goal of making 1 terawatt of processors each year. Factories are expected to assemble AI satellites by late 2027, with first orbital launches planned for 2028 and a longer-term target of 100 gigawatts per year of orbital computing capacity, Benzinga reported.
Sources
- SpaceX Vaporized 260 Satellites in Six Months: Why Elon Musk Is Turning Our Atmosphere Into a Massive Orbital Junkyard – Gadget Review
- Elon Musk's SpaceX Deorbits 260 Starlink Satellites in Six Months, With Hundreds More Set to Burn Up
