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> What happens to inactive satellites? Do they de-orbit themselves in safe locations? Or just stay as space junk? I believe they plan to use the last bit of th
by SECProto 8y ago
> What happens to inactive satellites? Do they de-orbit themselves in safe locations? Or just stay as space junk?
I believe they plan to use the last bit of their propellant to lower the perigee into the atmosphere, which will then naturally deorbit. They recently submitted documents to the FCC stating a change to materials to ensure everything burns up and wont impact the earth. [1]
[1] https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/03/spacex-higher-necessary-safety-starlink-constellation/ https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/03/spacex-higher-necess...
- acchow 8y agoWhat do the compounds turn into when they burn up? There are metals too.
- manicdee 8y agoVapour in the upper atmosphere, though some materials with low ballistic coefficient might break free and drift down intact. There has been at least two cases of people being “hit” by insulation from reentered satellites and spacecraft. The objects were basically paper or cardboard in terms of density.
- gpm 8y agoFor the first 75 (or less) satellites there are some components that SpaceX thinks might survive re-entry. They've redesigned latter satellites such that they should burn up entirely. Nice article (the relevant portion is near the end, but if you're interested in this you might as well read the whole thing): https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/03/spacex-higher-necessary-safety-starlink-constellation/ https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019/03/spacex-higher-necess... Raw source: https://licensing.fcc.gov/myibfs/download.do?attachment_key=1636825 https://licensing.fcc.gov/myibfs/download.do?attachment_key=...