The current fleet consists of thousands of units,but SpaceX has plans to deploy tens of thousands.
The decision to deorbit so many satellites at once is motivated by safety concerns.
SpaceX encourages all satellite owners and operators to safely de-orbit satellites before they become non-maneuverable.
The first batch of 60 Starlink satellites being deployed to low Earth orbit in May 2019.Image: SpaceX
Indeed, this incident raises serious questions about the long-term sustainability and safety of increasingly crowded orbital environments.
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