4,400 Starlink Satellites to Move to Lower Orbit

SpaceX expects the move will reduce risks and improve safety as the Earth's orbit grows more crowded.
Published: 1/2/2026, 4:44:26 PM EST
4,400 Starlink Satellites to Move to Lower Orbit
A batch of 60 Starlink test satellites stacked atop a Falcon 9 rocket, close to be put in orbit on May 24, 2019. (SpaceX)
SpaceX will move about 4,400 Starlink satellites to a lower orbit this year to better control risks and improve safety, the company announced Friday.

Michael Nicholls, vice president of Starlink engineering, posted the news on X, saying the adjustment would increase space safety in several ways.

Elon Musk’s Starlink system contributes more than 9,000 satellites to an increasingly crowded Earth orbit. Of those in the Starlink system, only two are not functioning, according to Nicholls.

This is a developing story that will be updated.