Up to four satellites from Elon Musk's Starlink constellation are falling to Earth each day, according to space trackers. Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, recorded an average of one to two deorbiting daily in 2025, a figure expected to rise to five per day as SpaceX expands its network.
Videos of the satellites burning up have circulated on social media, sparking concerns about risks to people on the ground. However, McDowell noted that Starlink satellites are designed to burn up entirely in the atmosphere, making them harmless. There are currently around 20,000 objects tracked in low-Earth orbit, including 12,000 working satellites—8,500 of which are Starlink.
McDowell warned that uncontrolled re-entries of other space hardware pose a greater threat. 'Every few months there's a report of a piece of space hardware that's reentered that ends up on the ground as a significant piece of debris,' he said. 'So several times a year we're taking these potshots at people on the Earth and fortunately so far missing. So far we've been very lucky, but it won't last.'
While deorbiting Starlink satellites may not endanger people, their environmental impact remains uncertain. Scientists are studying whether pollutants like aluminium-oxide particles from burn-ups could warm the atmosphere. 'It's not clear yet really, even in the age of the mega constellations, [whether] these effects are going to be big enough to be really problematic,' McDowell added, noting that research is ongoing and may prompt a rethink of disposal strategies.
