There are more than 8,000 Starlink satellites<\/a> overhead at this moment. They\u2019re a product of the space transportation company SpaceX. And that number is growing. Plus there are other companies and countries also deploying more and more satellites, adding to the number of satellites in Earth orbit. Many of these are in low-Earth orbits, which extend up to an altitude of 1,200 miles (2,000 km) above our planet. And the lifespan of low-Earth orbit satellites, such as Starlink, is only about 5 to 7 years. Soon, McDowell told us, there will be up to 5 satellite reentries per day. He said: <\/p>\n With all constellations deployed, we expect about 30,000 low-Earth orbit satellites (Starlink, Amazon Kuiper, others) and perhaps another 20,000 satellites at 1,000 km [620 miles] from the Chinese systems. For the low-orbit satellites we expect a 5-year replacement cycle, and that translates to five reentries a day. It\u2019s not clear if the Chinese will orbit-lower theirs or just accelerate us to chain-reaction Kessler syndrome.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The Kessler syndrome is a scenario in which the density of objects in low-Earth orbit is high enough that collisions between objects cause a cascade, with each collision generating space debris that increases the likelihood of further collisions. Read more about the Kessler syndrome here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Watch our interviews with Jonathan McDowell:<\/p>\n Space junk and other human-made space hazards<\/a><\/p>\n The truth about Near-Earth Collisions<\/a><\/p>\n Catch a falling SpaceX Starlink<\/a><\/p>\n How to tell the difference between space junk and meteors<\/p>\n In many of the images online showing the fiery disintegration of something in our atmosphere, a photographer is asking: <\/p>\n What did I just see?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n So, is there a quick way to tell the difference between a meteor and space junk burning up overhead? McDowell explained: <\/p>\n The easy \u2018meteor vs. space junk\u2019 discriminator is speed. A meteor from solar orbit, even a big fireball, lasts only a few seconds and is gone, whizzz. Space junk goes more like airplane angular speed (really faster than a plane, but higher so it cancels out) and may be overhead for a couple of minutes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Watch a Russian rocket reenter Earth\u2019s atmosphere over southeastern Australia in May 2020.<\/p>\n How solar activity affects Starlink satellites and others<\/p>\n As SpaceX launches more and more Starlink satellites, more of them also come falling back to Earth. But they don\u2019t all fall out of orbit for the same reason. Besides the fact that some of them are at the end of their lifespans, there are other reasons satellites can reenter.<\/p>\n For example, high solar activity can shorten the lifespan of satellites, and we\u2019re just past a solar maximum<\/a> and still in the period of high solar activity. Solar storms heat Earth\u2019s upper atmosphere, causing it to \u201cpuff up.\u201d The result is an increase in atmospheric drag: low-Earth orbit satellites like Starlink (and ISS, and Earth-observing satellites) find themselves flying through thicker air than usual. That extra air density creates aerodynamic drag, which slows the satellites down and causes them to lose altitude. <\/p>\n Read our daily sun news<\/a><\/p>\n Operators might be able to boost some satellites back up. But, if they can\u2019t, the satellites can reenter the atmosphere prematurely. That\u2019s what happened in early 2022, when a solar storm doomed 40 recently launched Starlink satellites<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also, malfunctions can occur<\/p>\n Solar activity isn\u2019t the only thing that brings satellites down. Malfunctions can occur. For example, on July 12, 2024, a Falcon 9 rocket failed during the second stage, leaving 20 Starlink satellites in the \u201cwrong\u201d orbit. In that case, McDowell said: <\/p>\n All but two of the satellites reentered on the day of launch, and the last one reentered on July 20, eight days after launch.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Recent Starlink satellites reentries shared on social media<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a sample of some of the recent Starlink satellite reentries that people have witnessed. Keep in mind that many of the reentries are not being witnessed. That\u2019s because some 70% of Earth\u2019s surface is water, so in many places the reentries happen overhead where no one is around to see them. Also, reentries that happen in the middle of the night or during bright daylight are less likely to be witnessed. <\/p>\n September 25, 2025<\/strong>: A Starlink satellite lit up the sky over the Bay Area in California. <\/p>\n WATCH: Starlink debris seen over the skies of Sacramento County, California.<\/p>\n \u2014 AZ Intel (@azintel.bsky.social)<\/a> 2025-09-26T03:37:39.570Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n A reentry observed over California at 0245 UTC Sep 26 (7.45pm PDT Thu Sep 25) is consistent with Starlink 1586.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589.bsky.social)<\/a> 2025-09-26T23:51:48.535Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n September 22, 2025<\/strong>: A Starlink satellite burned up over Saskatchewan, Canada. <\/p>\n Here’s the official Global Meteor Network camera video from Lucky Lake, Saskatchewan! This video is courtesy University of Western Ontario and Defence R&D Canada.I counted 13 pieces in the video, how many do we think made it to the ground and are sitting on canola stubble east of Saskatoon?<\/p>\n \u2014 Prof. Sam Lawler (@sundogplanets.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy)<\/a> 2025-09-26T15:52:56.000Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Starlink 1066 reentered over Canada at about 0600 UTC Sep 23.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589.bsky.social)<\/a> 2025-09-23T23:39:15.840Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n September 21, 2025<\/strong>: This Starlink reentry created a stir when it burned up over Texas.<\/p>\n \n @hearts4hoovestherapy<\/a> <\/p>\n Well that was cool! #Hearts4Hooves<\/a> #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp<\/a> #goviral<\/a> #foryoupage<\/a> #fyp?<\/a> <\/p>\n ? levitation \u2013 Aaron Hibell & Felsmann + Tiley<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Starlink 1636, launched in Aug 2020, reentered over Texas last night (Sep 22 0130 UTC \/ Sep 21 8.30pm CDT) and was observed widely.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jonathan McDowell (@planet4589.bsky.social)<\/a> 2025-09-23T00:27:13.160Z<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n What effect do the disintegrating satellites have on Earth\u2019s atmosphere?<\/p>\n In 2023, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shared<\/a> a scientific investigation of Earth\u2019s stratosphere. The stratosphere is the layer of atmosphere more than 7 miles (11 km) above Earth\u2019s surface, where jet planes fly and the ozone layer exists. NOAA said the stratosphere: <\/p>\n \u2026 contains an unexpected quantity of particles with a variety of exotic metals. The scientists believe the particles come from satellites and spent rocket boosters as they are vaporized by the intense heat of reentry.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The researchers found particles containing the rare elements niobium<\/a> and hafnium<\/a>. They also found a significant number of particles contained copper<\/a>, lithium and aluminum at concentrations far exceeding the abundance found in space dust. The use of these elements in heat-resistant, high-performance alloys pointed at the spaceflight industry as the culprit.<\/p>\n These tiny particles could absorb and reflect the sun\u2019s rays. They could also serve as surfaces for ozone-destroying chemical reactions. And these particles could change our planet\u2019s atmosphere in ways we still don\u2019t fully understand. Research in this area is ongoing.<\/p>\n Bottom line: There are now one to two Starlink satellites falling back to Earth each day, burning up in the atmosphere with consequences not fully understood.<\/p>\n\n
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![\"Starlink](\"https:\/\/planet4589.org\/space\/stats\/figs\/starreentry.jpg\")
View at EarthSky Community Photos<\/a>. | John Chumack<\/a> in Yellow Springs, Ohio, captured Comet Lemmon<\/a> (C\/2025 A6) on September 27, 2025. John wrote: \u201cInsane satellite traffic while imaging this comet \u2026 the stars are trailing because I\u2019m tracking the comet\u2019s nucleus and motion through the background stars \u2026 out of the 44 separate 60-second images taken on that morning, only 6 did not have satellites trails in them.\u201d Thank you, John!<\/p>\n