Starlink Satellites: How Many Are Up There vs. Falling Down?
Starlink's Skyfall: Is SpaceX's Constellation Sustainable?
SpaceX's Starlink has fundamentally altered the landscape of low Earth orbit (LEO). But the sheer scale of the project raises a critical question: is it sustainable, both in terms of orbital debris and the operational realities of keeping thousands of satellites aloft? The data, while impressive, suggests some turbulence ahead.
Since 2019, SpaceX has launched a staggering number of Starlink satellites. The exact number fluctuates, but recent figures put it well over 5,000. That's a lot of hardware circling our planet, all with a finite lifespan. And while SpaceX touts a high success rate, the increasing number of "unplanned reentries" – over 500 since the program's inception – demands closer inspection. How Many Starlink Satellites Have Fallen Out Of The Sky?
The primary culprit, according to SpaceX, is solar activity. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections heat the upper atmosphere, causing it to expand. This increases atmospheric drag on LEO satellites, leading to premature orbital decay. It's a reasonable explanation, but it also reveals a fundamental vulnerability in the Starlink architecture. These satellites, orbiting at relatively low altitudes to minimize latency, are inherently susceptible to atmospheric conditions. The more satellites you have, the greater the overall impact of increased drag, it's simple math.
SpaceX is attempting to mitigate this in a few ways. They're launching new generations of satellites (like the V3s mentioned in some reports) designed for greater resilience. They're also launching more satellites to replenish those that fall out of the sky. Recent activity has been intense. In mid-November 2025 alone, SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets carrying a total of 58 Starlink satellites within a single launch window. The booster B1078 had already flown 23 missions prior.
The company is breaking its own records for launch cadence. The 94th orbital launch from Florida's Space Coast this year happened on November 10, 2025. That's 144 Falcon 9 missions in 2025, and 104 dedicated to Starlink. The previous high was 138 total liftoffs in 2024 (a record that, I expect, has already been trounced). But what does this relentless launch schedule really mean? SpaceX launches Starlink satellites on record-breaking 94th liftoff of the year from Florida's Space Coast (video)
It means a growing logistical burden, both in terms of manufacturing capacity and launch infrastructure. It also means increasing costs. While SpaceX has driven down launch costs significantly, each satellite still represents a substantial investment. How much? Details on the exact cost per satellite are scarce (SpaceX isn't exactly transparent). But even assuming a conservative estimate of $250,000 per satellite, we're talking about billions of dollars. And this is the part of the equation that I find genuinely puzzling. If atmospheric drag is a significant and ongoing problem, how does SpaceX plan to maintain its constellation size without incurring unsustainable costs?
The proposed solution of turning Starlink satellites into orbiting data centers raises even more questions. The V3 satellites, already significantly larger than their predecessors, would need to be scaled up even further to host substantial computing power. And while Elon Musk touts the high-speed laser links for data transmission (up to 200Gbps, apparently), the power requirements for running a data center in space would be enormous. (Not to mention the heat dissipation challenges.)
And what about the competition? Starcloud, for example, is planning to launch a test satellite with an Nvidia H100 GPU to orbit. This could be a sign of things to come.