Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Software reported that Starlink has reduced its altitude for a big chunk of its software constellation after one of Musk’s satellites had a near-miss with a Chinese satellite. According to the South China Morning Post, the close call was the primary reason why the company announced the move to lower the altitude of more than 4,000 Starlink satellites from 550 km (340 mi) to 480 km (around 300 mi). SpaceX VP for Engineering Michael Nicolls also said on X that the company is doing this with a view to “increasing space safety.”
“Starlink is beginning a significant reconfiguration of its satellite constellation focused on increasing space safety,” Nicolls wrote on the social media platform. “We are lowering all @Starlink satellites orbiting at ~550 km to ~480 km (~4400 satellites) over the course of 2026. The shell lowering is being tightly coordinated with other operators, regulators, and USSPACECOM."
Starlink is beginning a significant reconfiguration of its satellite constellation focused on increasing space safety. We are lowering all @Starlink satellites orbiting at ~550 km to ~480 km (~4400 satellites) over the course of 2026. The shell lowering is being tightly…January 1, 2026
According to Discover Magazine, there are about 15,000 satellites currently in orbit, most of which sit at the 500 to 1,000km low-earth orbit (LEO) altitude. Starlink owns the majority of this number, with Nicolls saying that it has over 9,000 operational satellites. However, it has plans to further expand this to a total of 34,400 satellites, with the U.S. FCC granting a 7,500-satellite expansion that would let it bring its current fleet to more than 19,000 units. Competitors like Amazon’s Project Kuiper and China’s SpaceSail also plan to launch their own satellite constellations with thousands of units, potentially turning the LEO part of outer space into a crowded space.
The move to reduce the altitude of nearly half of its fleet will reduce the risk of collisions, especially as countries and operators jostle for space. However, the 70km (43mi) altitude reduction also has some drawbacks. “Starlink satellites at an altitude of 560km experience an average daily orbital decan of about 101 meters, compared with about 267 meters at 485 km,” wrote the Chinese researchers. This meant these satellites would have to use more fuel to maintain their altitude, or else they risk re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere and burning up prematurely. Nevertheless, the tradeoffs might be worth it, especially as the company and several others plan to fill our orbit with thousands of satellites more.
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