"SpaceX
@SpaceX In response to the LA fires, the @Starlink team has provided 1,350 free kits to fire departments and other disaster response organizations from Orange County to Malibu, in addition to applying free Starlink service for thousands of customers impacted by the fires in the Los Angeles area"

and:

"And since enabling our Direct to Cell satellites with @TMobile, more than 120,000 text messages have been sent, allowing those in the impacted areas to reach loved ones, text 911 or receive emergency alerts"

https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1880020434843795783

Do you work for Starlink?

Lol, I haven't worked since 2009. I just love technology, especially when it's used for a good cause.

Regular customerz of T-Mobile must already have a Starlink kit to use this ($349.00 cost) and does not allow phone calls or data but texting only and is temporary. Apparently they have provided kits to fire departments and disaster response organizations.

https://www.satelliteinternet.com/re...-la-residents/

I considered Starlink myself.

My area got connected at the very start of the Government Internet Expansion. So we were slow, yet fast enough that no further upgrades were coming. But I got a cheap commercial solution, Plenty good enough for my needs. It's a 4G mobile network, with 5G on the way.

If they can de-orbit without depending on drag then that works. Otherwise, in regards to the second point there is this from The Register recently:

High-volume dumping of debris and fragment generating debris cut into access to larger profit centers like the moon or even Mars or the asteroids.

I also love technology! I really like the innovations that Musk et al have created. However, given the fact that Musk is a far-right Nazi sympathizer I cannot ever see myself financially supporting anything he does. It's shame really; I think he's becoming unhinged. Drug use?

"Sailors aboard HMS Prince of Wales will be able to use Starlink to contact family and friends and watch television during a nine-month deployment to Japan and other countries this spring. If the trial, which has not been publicised, is deemed successful, then Starlink could be introduced to the rest of the fleet, a navy source said, deepening UK military ties with the US." https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/...h-tv-3cdx52n6l

I just purchased a Starlink Mini, being offered at a reduced price through July 7th. I will provide reviews when I get it set-up.

If the Earth's atmosphere is shrinking, they'll reduce the orbits of Starlink etc satellites to match - I hope.
(I have no idea if the orbital mechanics allow that ... )

I don't think it's a matter of mechanics, but physics, and gravity in particular. If they lower the orbit, the pull of earth's gravity would increase. But if the earth warms, the earth's atmosphere would increase in size.

All interesting sums for physicists.

From what I read climate change is not reducing the mass of our atmosphere, just changing it's density making it take up a lesser volume. The problem for satellites noted is this means a wee bit less drag though at those elevations it amounts to very little. That might result in debris taking longer to drop to a level where eventually burning up.

The main factor affecting orbital mechanics is velocity. Less drag means higher velocity which translates into a rising orbit. The vast majority of satellites will not be adversely affected by such a slight increase in elevation.

That would have been my guess as well, but according to https://phys.org/news/2021-07-nasa-s...re-cooling.pdf, the CO2 keeps more heat in the lower layers of the atomosphere, so the higher layer actually gets colder and contracts.

It's rather less deceleration and falling orbit (or less stationkeeping to stay in the same orbit), right? You can't gain velocity unless the drag goes negative.

IOW, unless there's a drastic decrease in atmospheric radius, it just means the uncontrolled decay will take a bit longer... for some value of 'longer'

Ofc, as per my original post, (unless a satellite fails), they are designed to de-orbit when requested, unless atmospheric drag gets them first.
Either way, this particular cloud of satellites shouldn't cause a Kessler event.

@ business_kid : I also have no Starlink connection; like mjolnir, I'm just interested space stuff etc.

You are correct ntubski. I got "bedazzled" thinking of initial potential energy, essentially stored and translating into kinetic energy sort of like how an landslide works or considering that orbit is basically falling at a speed that the motion of the center will forever evade, but that falling energy will not increase so you might say I got off on a tangent. I'm old so it could also have something to do with a Newton hangover. It is still something of an adjustment recalling that Gravity is no longer seen as a force.

Thankfully there is no reduction in elevation so no serious issues with "shrinking atmosphere" that I can imagine.