Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Software reported that Starlink has reduced its altitude for a big chunk of its software constellation after one of Musk’s satellites had a near-miss with a Chinese satellite. According to the South China Morning Post, the close call was the primary reason why the company announced the move to lower the altitude of more than 4,000 Starlink satellites from 550 km (340 mi) to 480 km (around 300 mi). SpaceX VP for Engineering Michael Nicolls also said on X that the company is doing this with a view to “increasing space safety.”
“Starlink is beginning a significant reconfiguration of its satellite constellation focused on increasing space safety,” Nicolls wrote on the social media platform. “We are lowering all @Starlink satellites orbiting at ~550 km to ~480 km (~4400 satellites) over the course of 2026. The shell lowering is being tightly coordinated with other operators, regulators, and USSPACECOM."
