SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet continues to grow , but as it does, it’s been bringing lots of unexpected side effects with it.

According to astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, one to two Starlink satellites are re-entering Earth’s atmosphere and burning up every single day .

McDowell says this number could increase to five per day in the coming years if other networks, such as Amazon Kuiper or planned Chinese systems, join the fray. What does that mean for Earth?

Almost 10,000 Starlink satellites in orbit

Since the program first started in 2019, SpaceX has launched almost 10,000 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO). According to McDowell’s count, around 8,500 of them are currently active, while the rest are conside

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