Elon Musk's Starlink company is using various methods to improve communications with its satellites. In recent days, this has included moving part of the constellation to a lower Earth orbit. Reducing the distance between the satellites and ground clients is intended to reduce latency and increase data transfer speeds.
Last Wednesday, as reported by PCMagAstronomer and satellite observer Jonathan McDowell reported the descent of a large constellation of Starlink communications satellites from their previous positions in low-Earth orbit. Previously, these satellites were approximately 550 km from the Earth's surface, but as of Wednesday, 652 satellites had moved to a lower orbit, corresponding to a distance of 480 km from the Earth's surface. According to McDowell, another 972 satellites were in the process of similar descent at that time.
Elon Musk didn't ignore the astronomer's comments, explaining on social media that these maneuvers are intended to ensure a denser data stream and improved signal quality. Back in January, Starlink announced that it planned to move 4400 satellites to a lower orbit of 480 km this year. In addition to improving signal quality, this would free up near-Earth space in the same range and speed up the deorbit process for used communications satellites. These satellites gradually descend and burn up in the dense layers of the Earth's atmosphere when their operational lifespans expire. As SpaceX representatives explained, at a distance of less than 500 km from Earth, the number of artificial objects is much lower, and the probability of their collision is lower, simplifying the process of satellite constellation management.
The deorbiting of Starlink satellites will also allow the company to reduce data transmission latency to less than 20 ms, a level already being observed by customers in some parts of the United States. According to McDowell, 3827 Starlink satellites have already been moved to a lower orbit, while 2926 remain in a higher orbit. The process of deorbiting some satellites began as early as 2024, he said. The next-generation Starlink satellites, which will provide gigabit transmission speeds, will be able to orbit 340 km above the Earth's surface. Their launch timing largely depends on SpaceX's readiness to begin regular launches of the heavy-lift Starship launch vehicle that will deliver them into space. According to preliminary data, deployment of the new Starlink satellite constellation will begin in the fourth quarter of this year. More than 8000 Starlink satellites are currently in operation, of which almost 2000 are scheduled for decommissioning in the foreseeable future.
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Source: 3dnews.ru
