SpaceX has launched its 10,000th Starlink satellite, solidifying Elon Musk's control over two-thirds of all active satellites. As of October 20th, 8,562 out of 12,955 active satellites in low-Earth orbit belong to Starlink, with an additional 1,500 inactive or deorbited. This vast constellation grants Musk significant power, as he has previously claimed to possess more real-time global economic data than anyone due to his control of Tesla, SpaceX, and X.
SpaceX's closest competitor, OneWeb, has 651 satellites. However, several Chinese initiatives aim to deploy over 10,000 satellites by the 2030s. SpaceX's long-term plan is to expand Starlink to 42,000 satellites, though currently, it only has approval for 12,000. The recent launch also matched SpaceX's annual Falcon 9 launch record of 132, with more planned.
Starlink satellites are designed for a five-year lifespan and then undergo controlled reentries to burn up in the atmosphere. Astronomers have observed an increasing number of these satellites burning up, with an average of one per day in 2025, projected to rise... download the app to read more
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