Re: “Mass Retirement? SpaceX Spotted Deorbiting Dozens of Starlink Satellites”

On Fri, 31 Jan 2025 22:21:06 -0600, Lynn McGuire
<lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

“Mass Retirement? SpaceX Spotted Deorbiting Dozens of Starlink Satellites”
 
https://www.pcmag.com/news/mass-retirement-spacex-spotted-deorbiting-dozens-of-starlink-satellites
>
“An astronomer says SpaceX seems to be de-orbiting about four or five
Starlinks every day.”
>
Huh.  I guess that they are letting the version 1.0 satellites go.
>
Posted via Starlink.

IIRC, an article in a recent /Science News/ pointed out that these
satellites (StarLink and others similar in purpose) are intended to
de-orbit after a few years. They are not intended to last forever.
Planned obsolescence indeed!

What the /article/ was about was the effect on the atmosphere of all
those satellites burning up and releasing the materials they are made
of. It may not be good, but for many materials not normally found in
the atmosphere it's a new field to investigate, which scientists are
always happy to find.
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"