SpaceX has removed 260 Starlink satellites from orbit over the past six months, while another 349 satellites are now out of service and scheduled for disposal. Together, the removed and pending satellites total 609 units, representing about 5.7% of the 10,743 working Starlink satellites tracked by astronomer Jonathan McDowell as of July 5.
The figures highlight the constant turnover inside SpaceX’s growing satellite internet network and raise questions about replacement costs, orbital safety, regulatory scrutiny and investor expectations.
SpaceX Reports 260 Starlink Satellites Burned Up
According to a semiannual filing submitted to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, SpaceX recorded 260 Starlink satellites that reentered Earth’s atmosphere and burned up between December 2025 and May 2026.
The filing was signed by David Goldman, SpaceX’s vice president of satellite policy.
SpaceX said its cautious approach to satellite disposal requires major investment. The company prefers to deliberately de-orbit and replace satellites instead of waiting for them to fail while still in orbit.
Another 349 Satellites Await Disposal
In addition to the 260 satellites already removed, SpaceX said 349 decommissioned satellites are lined up for disposal.
That brings the total number of Starlink satellites either removed or waiting for removal to 609.
For investors, this creates a mixed picture. Removing old satellites may reduce orbital risk, but it also means SpaceX must keep spending money to build and launch replacements.
Starlink Satellite Disposal Breakdown
| Starlink Disposal Metric | Count | Investor Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Satellites reentered between Dec. 2025 and May 2026 | 260 | Already removed from service |
| Gen 1 share of reentries | 176, or 67.7% | Older satellites still make up most removals |
| Gen 2 share of reentries | 84, or 32.3% | Newer satellites are also being phased out |
| Decommissioned satellites listed for disposal | 349 | Next disposal wave already pending |
| Total removed or awaiting disposal | 609 | About 5.7% of working Starlink satellites |
McDowell Tracker Shows Scale of Starlink Network
The 5.7% figure is based on McDowell’s Starlink tracker.
As of July 5, the tracker listed 12,443 Starlink satellites launched, with 10,759 still in orbit and 10,743 reported as working.
The tracker also showed 225 satellites in disposal and 1,684 satellites already down from the total Starlink constellation.
Satellite Churn Creates Operational Pressure
The rate of satellite turnover shows how demanding it is to operate a large low-Earth-orbit network.
With about 43 satellites dropping out of orbit each month, the 349 satellites now scheduled for disposal would represent roughly eight months of removals, even before accounting for future satellites that may also be retired.
This ongoing cycle can help reduce the risk of space debris, but it also adds continuing manufacturing, launch and operating costs.
Nasdaq 100 Inclusion Adds Market Attention
The disclosure comes as SpaceX begins a new market cycle with forced buyers entering the stock.
According to Reuters, the company’s stock is set to join the Nasdaq 100 on July 7.
JPMorgan Chase estimated that index funds could bring about $4.3 billion in passive inflows.
Morningstar strategist Michael Field told Reuters that the stock appears overvalued.
SpaceX Stock Shows Mega-Cap-Like Trading Behavior
Reuters reported that SpaceX stock has been trading with a tight float and already behaving like a mega-cap.
The stock reportedly reached an intraday high of $225.64 on June 16 and closed at $153.23 on June 26.
The report also said SpaceX lost $4.9 billion last year and was valued near $2 trillion, equal to around 107 times 2025 sales.
By comparison, Nvidia traded at about 21 times sales.
Short Interest Climbs Sharply
Short sellers have moved quickly into the stock.
Reuters cited Ortex data showing short interest rising to 196 million shares, or about 31% of the free float.
That was up from 83 million shares, or 13% of the float, just days earlier.
Ortex co-founder Peter Hillerberg described the increase as extraordinary for a stock that had been trading for less than a month.
Starlink Maneuver Data Shows Operating Burden
SpaceX’s filing also provided details on satellite maneuvers and collision-avoidance activity.
| Latest SpaceX Filing Metric | Gen 1 | Gen 2 |
| Satellites reentered over six months | 176 | 84 |
| Total propulsive maneuvers | 65,137 | 142,015 |
| Yearly average maneuvers per satellite | About 36 | About 46 |
| Collision-avoidance system outages | 6 | 16 |
The maneuver figures show the operational workload involved in managing Starlink, beyond simply counting the number of satellites in orbit.
Gen 2 Satellites Performed More Maneuvers
SpaceX said its collision-avoidance threshold is set at 3e-7, which is tighter than the industry standard of 1e-4.
According to the company, Gen 2 satellites performed more than twice as many propulsive maneuvers as Gen 1 satellites during the reporting period.
This suggests that newer Starlink hardware may require more active positioning and collision-avoidance management.
Regulatory and Atmospheric Concerns
The same disposal and maneuver data also connects to broader regulatory concerns.
The standard safety approach is to burn up dead satellites in the atmosphere before they become long-term orbital debris.
However, researchers continue studying whether repeated satellite reentries could affect the upper atmosphere.
Chris Maloney, a researcher at CIRES, said that building large low-Earth-orbit constellations could begin to influence the middle atmosphere.
Disposal Failures Reported
The filing also disclosed four disposal failures between late March and mid-June.
These included two Gen 1 and two Gen 2 satellites.
SpaceX said all four failures were caused by hardware problems.
In one Gen 2 failure, the company said it identified sensitive components and removed them from future designs.
SpaceX’s latest FCC filing shows that Starlink’s rapid growth comes with constant satellite turnover, technical demands and replacement costs. The company removed 260 satellites through atmospheric reentry between December 2025 and May 2026, while another 349 satellites are waiting for disposal.
Together, the 609 satellites represent about 5.7% of the working Starlink fleet tracked by Jonathan McDowell. While SpaceX says its conservative disposal strategy helps reduce orbital risk, the figures also highlight the cost of maintaining a massive low-Earth-orbit network.
At the same time, market attention, short interest, valuation concerns and Nasdaq 100 inclusion are adding new pressure around SpaceX’s growth story.