The role of Starlink in limiting space debris

CNBC’s Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. CNBC’s Michael Sheetz reports and curates the latest news, investor updates and exclusive interviews on the most important companies reaching new heights. Sign up to receive future editions.

For even the most accomplished satellite operators, losing 100 satellites in a year would represent wiping out most, if not all, of their current fleet.

But – in the latest edition of “SpaceX is the industry exception, not the rule” – the company’s recent announcement that it will de-orbit 100 Starlink satellites is a different story. For one, that number represents about 2% of the Starlink satellites launched to date. And, at SpaceX’s current rates, they’re able to produce and launch replacement satellites in about two weeks time.

More importantly, in the ongoing conversation about space debris: SpaceX has a distinct incentive to make sure any faulty Starlink satellites don’t end up in the future path of its own rockets and spacecraft. The company’s launching more than ever already and can’t afford to create hazards for itself in low Earth orbit.

SpaceX emphasized that the Starlink satellites it’s removing – first-generation spacecraft – are still “serving users effectively” but are being decommissioned because of a “common issue” that “could increase the probability of failure in the future.” 

The company’s already experienced how unpredictable operating a mass number of satellites in low Earth orbit can be, having lost a batch of satellites to a solar storm two years ago. SpaceX has also intentionally brought down over 400 satellites to date.

Even as the subsectors of satellite tracking and servicing emerge, SpaceX’s decision to intentionally roast a bunch of money-making spacecraft also serves as a good opportunity to revisit an open question: “How do you incentivize governments to clean up their junk?” 

Brian Weeden, a director at Secure World Foundation, posed that question to me last year and I have yet to come across an answer. For companies, whether they’re launching rockets or operating satellites, minimizing debris is necessary since you’re keeping your marketplace clean and avoiding potential fines, or even blocked access, from regulators. 

Governments don’t have the same incentive, with Weeden pointing to the decades of discarded rocket bodies and defunct satellites as evidence that nation states are the biggest culprits of leaving trash in orbit. 

Meanwhile SpaceX is setting a new precedent, even simply in the sheer volume of satellites it’s cleaning up here. Whether you interpret SpaceX’s motivation as altruistic or self-serving, proactive de-orbiting should be the global standard.

• Intuitive Machines’ first moon mission is on its way, after SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched the Nova-C cargo lander “Odysseus.” The lander aims to touch down on the lunar surface next week. – CNBC
• Hawaiian Airlines is beginning flights with free Starlink Wi-Fi, the first major U.S. airline to begin offering the satellite service. – CNBC
• Varda receives long-awaited FAA reentry license and is targeting Feb. 21 for landing its W-1 mission in the Utah desert. – CNBC
• Russia is reportedly pursuing a space weapon, with reports from within the U.S. national security community talking about a nuclear device to use against satellites. Some within Congress called for the White House to declassify information about the “serious national security threat.” – ABC News
• SpaceX files to move incorporation from Delaware to Texas, the latest development in Elon Musk’s fight against the “first state,” which has long served as the first choice as the legal home of American corporations. – CNBC
• Satellite data prices dropped 77% over the past five years, according to a report by Euroconsult, which found the global average capacity pricing for the satellite data markets has fallen from above $35 per Megabit per second per month in 2019, to nearly $5 per month this year. – Euroconsult
• Robot startup Virtual Incision performs surgery demonstration on the ISS, the first such test completed remotely in zero gravity. The startup’s robot called spaceMIRA (Miniaturized In Vivo Robotic Assistant) was remotely operated from Nebraska and performed several operations on simulated tissue at the orbiting laboratory. – CNN
• Polaris Dawn mission delayed to summer, having previously targeted April, to allow for “necessary developmental time” in its spacewalking and Starlink testing goals. – Polaris
• Starlink decries reports of Russians using the service, saying that claims of unauthorized use in unapproved countries are investigated and the company will “take actions to deactivate the terminal if confirmed.” – Starlink
• Ariane 6 stages shipped to French Guiana: Expected to arrive at the end of this month, the central parts of the rocket arriving will mark the next milestone toward Arianespace’s goal of launching Ariane 6 by July. – ArianeGroup
• Greece becomes 35th country to sign the Artemis Accords. NASA noted that “more countries are expected to sign the accords in the months and years ahead.” – NASA
• SpaceX to build $100 million office at Starbase, with the project representing a five-level, 329,000-square-foot facility at its South Texas site. – The Dallas Morning News
• Satellite companies team up to promote the direct-to-device market: Viasat, Terrestar, Ligado, Omnispace, and Yahsat created the Mobile Satellite Services Association, a non-profit group that aims to “develop a global ecosystem” that uses existing satellite spectrum for terrestrial mobile and broadband services. – MSSA

• K2 Space raises $50 million in a round led by Brad Gerstner’s Altimeter Capital and joined by Alpine Space Ventures. The startup expects to launch its first satellite on a demonstration mission later this year. – CNBC
• Silicon Valley satellite direct-to-device startup Skylo Technologies raises $37 million in a round led by Intel Capital and Innovation Endeavors and joined by BMW i Ventures, Next47, Samsung Catalyst Fund and Seraphim Space. – CNBC
• LeoLabs raised $29 million in a round from new investors including GP Bullhound, 1941, and Dolby Family Ventures, as well as existing investors. The space tracking company plans to use the new funds “to scale up its insight delivery by further investing in advanced end-user applications and partner integrations.” – LeoLabs
• BAE gets government approval to acquire Ball Aerospace: The U.K. aerospace company expects to complete the acquisition “in the coming days,” with Ball Aerospace to be known as BAE’s “Space & Mission Systems.” – BAE

• Iridium reports steady Q4 results and extends satellite lifespans by five years . The company’s total subscribers grew 14% year over year to 2.1 million. For the fourth quarter, Iridium generated $194.7 million in revenue, nearly flat for the period year over year, but it generated a net income of $38 million, versus a nearly $1 million loss for the period a year prior. – Iridium
• Intuitive Machines stock spikes more than 30% after its IM-1 mission launched. – CNBC
• Citi renews coverage of Rocket Lab with a buy rating and $6 price target, saying the company’s recent fundraising and SDA award both point to Rocket Lab having “accelerating momentum.” – Citi

• Dwight Deneal named as NASA assistant administrator for the Office of Small Business Programs in D.C., having previously served as the director for the Defense Logistics Agency’s Office of Small Business Programs. – NASA