SpaceX Denies Public At Risk From Starlink Debris

SpaceX is demanding a retraction from the FAA for a report that estimates debris from deorbiting Starlink satellites "would be expected" to kill or injure someone every two years. In a letter to the agency reviewed by SpaceNews, SpaceX principal engineer David Goldstein called the guesstimate "deeply flawed" and based on outdated data. But the fundamental point made by SpaceX is that its internet-beaming satellites are specifically designed to routinely fall out of low earth orbit and burn up entirely on reentry. So far, they've been right.

SpaceNews said a satellite tracker has counted 358 Starlink satellites that have been scrapped and there have been no reports of debris getting to the ground. “To be clear, SpaceX’s satellites are designed and built to fully demise during atmospheric reentry during disposal at end of life, and they do so [emphasis in original],” Goldstein wrote in the letter. “Extensive engineering analysis and real-world operational experience verify this basic fact.”

The report also claimed there was a remote possibility a chunk of Starlink debris would take out an aircraft in flight. The report was ordered by Congress and the FAA commissioned Aerospace Corp., a federally funded nonprofit, to do the study. Goldstein said Aerospace Corp. used a 23-year-old NASA study as the basis for its conclusions. That study looked at the amount of debris that hit the ground from falling Iridium satellites that were "not even built to be fully demisable." SpaceX has about 5,000 Starlink satellites in low earth orbit and plans to have about 14,000 there when the system is fully built out.