SpaceX reports big drop in Starlink satellite de-orbits in 2025

Elon Musk's aerospace firm SpaceX has reported that the number of Starlink satellites de-orbited at the end of 2025 declined substantially, dropping from around 500 to approximately 200.

This massive drop in de-orbited Starlink satellites was highlighted in the company’s latest semi-annual report it submitted to the FCC, indicating the successful retirement of many older Starlink satellites.

Usually, a Starlink satellite has a lifespan of five years before de-orbiting, during which it is designed to completely burn up upon re-entry into the atmosphere.

It must be noted that Starlink satellites can also be retired early due to malfunctions or hardware flaws. 

The Starlink constellation, which consists of over 10,000 satellites, experienced a surge in burn-ups last year, with SpaceX de-orbiting as many as four to five satellites daily, said astronomer and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.

From December 2024 to May 2025, SpaceX de-orbited 472 satellites, but this number dropped to just 218 from June to November.

Most of the de-orbited 167 satellites belonged to the first-generation Starlink constellation, which began serving customers over five years ago. The remainder came from the second-generation constellation.

McDowell confirmed that SpaceX has "largely completed the mass retirement of the older satellites," although the reentry rate remains high compared to 2023, reflecting SpaceX's efforts to manage its expanding satellite fleet.