DIGIVESTASI - SpaceX has announced plans to "early retire" 100 of its satellites. The reason is that these 100 satellites have defects that could cause major problems in the future. Starlink is a satellite internet company owned by SpaceX, the space technology company founded and led by Elon Musk.

Starlink said in a statement that it had identified similar issues with its fleet of first-generation communications satellites that could "increase the likelihood of failure." Tech Crunch estimates that the problem SpaceX found is related to the possibility of its satellites being "out of control". Currently, about 17 Starlink satellites are in a "stationary" state. 

Satellites that are ejected from orbit usually end up as space debris. Starlink satellites are in low Earth orbit. If satellites in low Earth orbit are knocked out of their orbit, they will be burned up by the Earth's atmosphere within a few years. Satellites in higher orbits would burn up in a few hundred years.  

Starlink's decision to prematurely retire 100 of its satellites could reignite criticism of the giant satellite constellation system, which it says will lead to a further buildup of space junk. 
Starlink is therefore taking steps to ensure its satellites are not "floating" in orbit.  Spacex is slowly deorbiting satellites that are no longer in use. These satellites will be gradually removed "in the coming weeks and months." 

However, since satellites are not airplanes, they can only move freely. SpaceX will "push" the satellites toward Earth until the space objects begin to glide freely into the atmosphere. This process is called deorbiting and takes about six months.  SpaceX also guarantees that "the movement will not collide with other satellites." 

The 100 satellites then fall toward Earth, not all at once, but one by one. Starlink users are also guaranteed no hassles. There are currently 6,000 Starlink satellites supporting internet services for users around the world. Even though about 406 satellites "fell" from orbit, Starlink's internet service continues to run smoothly.

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