this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2025
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One to two Starlink satellites are falling back to Earth each day (earthsky.org)
submitted 3 days ago by rssbot@lemmy.bestiver.se to c/hackernews@lemmy.bestiver.se
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[–] Thorry@feddit.org 26 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This is normal and by design. They fly super low, way in the upper atmosphere. This means they can't stay up there for more than 3-4 years. It's partly to reduce latency, but more likely it's just a part of the trick to keep SpaceX in business. Starlink is their biggest customer, a lot of the launches are just for Starlink. And they need to keep on launching, otherwise the network will fail. This means Musk can pump the huge pool of investment money from Starlink straight into SpaceX. This keeps them in business to keep funnelling money from taxpayers in the form of NASA grants into SpaceX. Musk then used that SpaceX money to invest in xAI, which was used to absorb a lot of the debt created by buying Twitter.

All just a scam, pumping money around to keep filling their pockets.

[–] Jason2357@lemmy.ca 10 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I'm with you on suspecting it's a scam, but it's also understandable. Low earth orbit is so much cheaper than higher orbits. Regularly launching small, low earth orbit satellites is really economical, and takes care of disposal too so requires very little on-board capabilities. University researchers and amateur radio folk have been doing that for decades because it's cheap and practical - starlink just upped the scale.

I'm actually glad his garbage is low enough that when whatever bubble pops or he gets bored, they won't contribute to orbital debris.

[–] JanoRis@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

i'm still worried about the reports about the possibility of the satellites influence on the ozone layer when they burn up in the atmosphere. The effect is still not fully understood but the amount of satellites are scaled up a lot in the next years nonetheless. Once they are up there, there is nothing more we can do

[–] n3m37h@sh.itjust.works 16 points 3 days ago (1 children)

1.7 - 3.4 million dollars destroyed each day

[–] whiwake@lemmy.cafe 13 points 3 days ago

Drop in the bucket for these guys. Just bill the customer.

[–] fubarx@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago (2 children)

There are now one to two Starlink satellites falling back to Earth each day, burning up in the atmosphere with consequences not fully understood.

Wait, what?!

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It’s my new ~~panic spiral~~ pet theory for the end of days. There’s a possibility that this could fuck up our magnetosphere, leading to losing our ozone layer, which would then eventually lose us our atmosphere.

[–] metoosalem@feddit.org 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

They were also afraid detonating a nuklear bomb could set the atmosphere on fire.

I think realistically we’re looking at the hole in the ozone layer grow again and MAYBE even a bit of Kessler Syndrome if every idiot with too much money makes their own sattelite WiFi

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Oh, I know that I don’t know enough about this subject to have any idea of its likelihood, but it’s stuck in my brain regardless

[–] waldfee@feddit.org 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I mean it doesn't take an expert to understand that putting cloud of metal and rare earthes into the upper atmosphere is probably not the best of things to do

[–] pulsewidth@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Who knows, it may reflect some solar radiation and help with global warming.

Please let my one remaining positive brain cell have this win.