Pretty sure SpaceX's "planning ahead" for this case is exactly what they did, i.e. proceed with the launch and rely on Starlink's low orbit to rapidly deorbit t

Pretty sure SpaceX's "planning ahead" for this case is exactly what they did, i.e. proceed with the launch and rely on Starlink's low orbit to rapidly deorbit the failed unit. SpaceX is going for vast scale with this project. Failures up to and including the loss of a launch vehicle can't derail the rest of it.