this post was submitted on 07 Jun 2026
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It gets even worse.
From this article from early 2025, we get a median life for Starlink satellites of 5.3 years, though expected to improve with newer versions of the satellites.
From other more broad analysis of the life expectancy of low orbit satellites we get that the solar cycle - which is 11 years - means that at its peak many more such satellites die due to the Earth's athmosphere expanding (so the satellites are more impacted by athmospheric drag hence are less likely to manage to remain in orbit, which they do using engines which have limited propellant). This is in addition to normal hazards of space, such as failures due to solar activity.
So expect that even for the lastest generation, half-life of these satellites is between 5 to at best 11 years.
Deutsche Telekom does not have the capital costs of replacing half its network every 5 - 11 years.