SpaceX will lower Starlink satellites to reduce collision risk

After one of its Starlink satellites exploded and another narrowly avoided colliding with a Chinese satellite, SpaceX says it will lower the orbit of thousands of Starlink satellites to increase safety. Of the over 9,000 Starlink satellites currently operating in low Earth orbit, SpaceX says it’ll lower about 4,400 from 550km above the Earth’s surface to about 480km in the months ahead. This ensures the satellites deorbit faster when something goes wrong or when they reach end of life, and it also reduces the likelihood of collision since “the number of debris objects and planned satellite constellations is significantly lower below 500km,” wrote Michael Nicolls, VP of Starlink Engineering. By the end of this decade, there could be as many as 70,000 satellites operating in low Earth orbit — the region of space about 160km to 2,000km (100 to 1,200 miles) above the Earth — if private and government-led efforts meet their targets. [Image: Another record year for SpaceX and Starlink launches. https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/spacex-missions.jpeg?quality=90&strip=all] SpaceX had another record-setting year in 2025. It conducted over 160 Falcon 9 missions, with more than 120 of them dedicated to expanding the Starlink constellation. Starlink now serves 9.25 million active customers in over 155 countries, markets, and territories.