SpaceX has decided to lower the orbit of thousands of its Starlink satellites after a recent in-space explosion and a near-miss with a Chinese spacecraft exposed safety risks in low Earth orbit.
The company will move about 4,400 satellites from roughly 550 kilometres above Earth down to around 480 kilometres over the course of 2026.
The change affects nearly half of the more than 9,000 Starlink satellites currently in operation and marks one of the largest coordinated orbital shifts ever attempted.
SpaceX says the decision is about risk control. At lower altitudes, failed satellites fall back to Earth much faster, reducing the chance they remain as long-term debris.
There is also less traffic below 500 kilometres, which lowers the odds of accidental collisions in an increasingly crowded region of space.
Michael Nicolls, SpaceX’s vice president of Starlink engineering, said: “Lowering the satellites results in condensing Starlink orbits, and will increase space safety in several ways,” adding that “the number of debris objects and planned satellite constellations is significantly lower below 500 km, reducing the aggregate likelihood of collision.”
This is a response to challenges that have been building for years. In December 2025, one Starlink satellite suffered what SpaceX described as an anomaly at about 418 kilometres in altitude.
The spacecraft lost contact and dropped rapidly, suggesting an onboard explosion. Debris was created, rare but serious for a company operating at such scale.
Around the same period, another Starlink satellite narrowly avoided colliding with a Chinese spacecraft, revealing how thin the margins have become.
Space scientists point to the approaching solar minimum, a phase when the Sun is less active. During this period, Earth’s upper atmosphere contracts, reducing drag on satellites.
Objects in orbit then stay aloft longer unless they are placed lower. By shifting Starlink down now, SpaceX is ensuring its satellites do not linger in space if something fails.
The reconfiguration is being coordinated with the United States Space Command, regulators, and other satellite operators. With thousands of spacecraft adjusting altitude, traffic management becomes urgent. A single miscalculation could trigger a chain reaction.
SpaceX’s place in orbit makes its choices hard to ignore. In 2025 alone, the company carried out more than 160 Falcon 9 launches, with over 120 missions dedicated to expanding Starlink.
The network now serves about 9.25 million customers across more than 155 countries, including governments and large organisations. No other operator comes close in scale.
Analysts estimate that by 2030, up to 70,000 satellites could be operating in low Earth orbit if current plans hold. Amazon’s Project Kuiper, OneWeb, and several national programmes are all adding to the congestion.
Regulators and scientists warn of a “tragedy of the commons”, where unmanaged growth makes parts of orbit unsafe for everyone, including weather, navigation, and scientific missions.
