[Starlink] "They are retiring and incinerating about 4 or 5 Starlinks every day"

[Brandon Butterworth]

'UNPRECEDENTED' STARLINK REENTRIES: What goes up, must come down--which 
could be a problem when you're launching thousands of satellites. Since 
2018, SpaceX has placed more than 7,000 Starlink satellites into Earth 
orbit, and now they are starting to come down. In January alone, more 
than 120 Starlinks deorbited, creating a shower of fireballs.

"The sustained rate of daily reentries is unprecedented," says Jonathan 
McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard Center for Astrophysics who 
tracks satellites. "They are retiring and incinerating about 4 or 5 
Starlinks every day."

Planners have long known this would happen. First generation (Gen1) 
Starlink satellites are being retired to make way for newer models. 
"More than 500 of the 4700 Gen1 Starlinks have now reentered," says 
McDowell.

When Starlinks reenter, they disintegrate before hitting the ground, 
adding metallic vapors to the atmosphere. A study published in 2023 
found evidence of the lingering devris. In February 2023, NASA flew a 
WB-57 aircraft 60,000 feet over Alaska to collect aerosols. 10% of the 
particles contained aluminum and other metals from the "burn-up" of 
satellites.

What we're observing is a giant uncontrolled experiment in atmospheric 
chemistry. The demise of just one Gen1 Starlink satellite produces about 
30 kilograms (66 pounds) of aluminum oxide, a compound that eats away at 
the ozone layer. A new study finds these oxides have increased 8-fold 
between 2016 and 2022, and the recent surge is increasing the pollution 
even more.

On the bright side, each reentry produces a beautiful fireball--and the 
odds are increasing that you'll see one. Visit the Aerospace Corporation 
for reentry predictions, and submit your photos here.

https://spaceweather.com