As it prepares for the possible rollout of satellite internet services in India, Elon Musk-owned Starlink has announced a major change in the way its satellite network operates in space. The company plans to gradually lower the orbit of its entire constellation starting next year, with the aim of making Earth’s increasingly crowded orbital environment safer, the company says.

Michael Nichols, SpaceX’s vice president of Starlink engineering, said the company will begin moving satellites operating at an altitude of about 550 km to a lower orbit of about 480 km during 2026. According to Nichols, bringing satellites closer to Earth helps reduce the long-term risks associated with space debris and accidental collisions, which have become a growing concern as thousands of new spacecraft are launched each year.

The announcement comes just weeks after Starlink revealed a rare incident in orbit involving one of its satellites. In December, the company said a satellite encountered an anomaly at an altitude of about 418 km, resulting in a small amount of debris falling and a complete loss of communication with the spacecraft. The satellite reportedly fell about four kilometers in a short period of time, indicating that an internal failure or explosion may have occurred. Although such incidents are uncommon, they have brought renewed attention to how operators manage large satellite fleets responsibly.

Explaining the reasoning behind the orbital change, Nichols said that reducing satellites effectively shrinks Starlink’s operating area. He said space below the 500 km mark currently has fewer debris objects and fewer planned satellite constellations than higher orbits. This, in turn, reduces the overall likelihood of collision, especially as more governments and private companies rush to deploy space-based services such as broadband, communications and Earth observation.

Over the past few years, the number of active spacecraft in Earth orbit has increased rapidly. Starlink alone operates approximately 10,000 satellites, making SpaceX the world’s largest satellite operator. The company, originally known primarily for its rocket launches, has become a major player in global broadband through Starlink, serving individual users, enterprises, and government customers in many countries.

The security-focused move also assumes significance as Starlink gets closer to launching services in India. Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had recently said that satellite communication services will be allowed in the country once companies meet the security requirements set by Indian authorities. These include ensuring that data routing and international gateways comply with national security norms and that sensitive data remains within India.

In an interview with PTI, Scindia said the government is close to the stage where spectrum can be allotted to satellite communications players like Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Global Services. However, this will happen only after the Department of Telecommunications finalizes the spectrum pricing, a process which is being handled in conjunction with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

The minister said temporary spectrum has already been assigned to satcom companies to help them demonstrate compliance to security agencies. According to him, companies are currently in the process of meeting these needs, after which commercial services will be closer to reality.