this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2023
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Starlink is losing a crazy number of satellites. Are they burning up or becoming junk?
Starlink sattelites operate in a low orbit that decays over time. They all fall back to earth eventually.
Specifically i think starlink satellites do not have any boosting thrusters, the reason important LEO satellites like the ISS don't burn up unless intended is due to those
Starlink satellites actually do have Hall-effect ion thrusters, and can raise and lower their their own orbits. Though like any spacecraft, they still have a finite amount of fuel and will eventually deorbit.
I heard they're designed to burn up in the atmosphere. Probably not an eco-friendly move, but it beats taking a satellite to the head.
Fine powder of metals strewn over a few km², there's more coming from outer space via micrometeorites and dust. And that bit CO² in the Stratosphere...
Also counterintuitively, you need some fuel to deorbit, which adds payload weight at launch and requires more fuel in the first place.
For example, getting a unit of rocket fuel to the Moon requires about ten times as much at launch.
Yes, it takes little fuel to destabilize one's orbit and eventually enter the atmosphere to burn up. It's more difficult if you need to make sure that the craft doesn't take others down during the procedure.
Starlink's only have fuel because of the initial lower orbit, as far as i know. Wasn't that to test them, for radiation and so on?