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[–] 22 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Starlink is all in LEO. It doesn't become space junk as there is sufficient drag in LEO that they readily deorbit purely due to air resistance (yes, there is enough air in LEO to make air resistance the factor in why Starlink does not become space junk).

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Let's put actual numbers on it:

    • Starlink: 500-570km

    • Kuiper: 630km

    • Guowang: 900-1145 km

    And as far as passive deorbit times, this chart is for a 1u cubesat, and bigger satellites would come down faster, but it illustrates some of the point that Starlink isn't actually the problem here:

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