Two hundred sixty Starlink satellites came down on purpose between December 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026. SpaceX said so in its semi-annual filing with the Federal Communications Commission, and the number is already feeding an argument over what burning that much hardware does to the upper atmosphere.
The split matters. Of the 260, 176 were first-generation units, which weigh 260 to 295 kg (573 to 650 lbs) each. The other 84 were second-generation satellites at 800 to 1,250 kg (1,764 to 2,756 lbs). SpaceX described the retirements as planned fleet turnover, not a response to malfunctions.
How the count stacks up
The latest total is higher than the 218 satellites disposed of in the six months before it. It falls well short of the 472 deorbited from December 2024 to May 2025, the biggest six-month figure on record. Given the size of the fleet, SpaceX takes satellites out of service almost daily.
Another 349 satellites were decommissioned in the same window and are waiting for disposal in the months ahead.
Most Starlink satellites are built for roughly five years of service, a design that lets SpaceX swap in new hardware as fuel runs low. Recovering an old satellite is neither technically practical nor affordable, according to the company, so each one is steered into the atmosphere, where friction destroys it entirely and leaves no debris on the ground. Satnews reported that the batch was mostly early v1.0 and v1.5 spacecraft launched between 2019 and 2021.
Reliability above the FCC floor
The FCC requires operators of megaconstellations to reach a 95% post-mission disposal reliability rate. SpaceX reported a rate above 99%. Meyka noted that the filing reads as steady, scheduled replacement and not a sign of trouble.
The constellation now has more than 10,000 operational satellites. SpaceX is also lowering the orbits of roughly 4,400 Starlink satellites during 2026, to about 480 km, to cut collision risk. Newer V3 satellites are already taking the place of retired ones in active orbital shells.
The environmental argument
Researchers who study particulates in the upper stratosphere have flagged the repeated burn-ups. Satnews said that when an aluminum-bodied satellite vaporizes, it produces microscopic aluminum oxide particles, and scientists warn that a steady supply from thousands of satellites could alter the stratosphere’s albedo and cause localized ozone depletion.
The FCC has long left satellites out of formal environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. Advocacy groups want that exclusion dropped, which would mean full environmental impact statements before launch approvals. The commission’s own proposal goes the other way: it would exclude space-based operations from NEPA because they are “extraterritorial activities” with effects “located entirely outside of the jurisdiction of the United States.” Tom’s Hardware reported that the proposal has not been approved.
The FCC, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Government Accountability Office are all involved in the debate. The FCC handles spectrum and orbital debris rules, the FAA licenses commercial launch and re-entry, and the GAO is reviewing oversight gaps between the agencies.
SpaceX’s longer-term plan is up to 42,000 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit. In January it won FCC approval for 7,500 additional Gen2 satellites.
Sources
- SpaceX FCC Filing Discloses Controlled Deorbit of 260 Starlink Satellites Between Dec 2025 and May 2026 | Meyka
- SpaceX vaporizes 260 Starlink satellites in six months using Earth's atmosphere — new environmental concerns emerge over burning 2,700-pound orbital data centers, FCC seeks to exempt satellites from regulations
- SpaceX Controlled-Deorbit Report Discloses Decommissioning of 260 Starlink Satellites Over Six Months
