[rwz]

I’m a bit worried about how we’re throwing stuff at space as fast as we can afford it without any legitimate way to clean it up after it becomes garbage. This project intends to have interlink based on 7k+ satellites and they will undoubtedly become outdated in about 20 years and will have to be replaced by next generation. This is tons and tons of useless metal and silicon orbiting Earth colliding with other useless silicon forming a layer of very high-energy fragments that will destroy everything they come in contact with. And we currently don’t know how deal with it.

It feels uneasy especially when you recognize parallels with climate change in how we’re creating a problem for future generations chasing shorter-term goals.

[antpls]

From a bit of research on Internet, the satellites will re-enter into atmosphere after end of operation, because they are sent to relatively low orbits. There is no garbage involved here.

[ceejayoz]

> This project intends to have interlink based on 7k+ satellites and they will undoubtedly become outdated in about 20 years and will have to be replaced by next generation.

They'll deorbit long before 20 years are up. The ISS requires regular boosts to stay in orbit, due to atmospheric drag. SpaceX's satellites will last probably ~5 years at most.

[s_y_n_t_a_x]

The satellites fall from orbit and burn up in the atmosphere.