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The satellites are launched into low earth orbit (LEO). They experience air resistance (there is a tiny bit of air in low earth orbit) and eventually fall back to earth when they run out of propellant to maintain their altitude.
If only there was a way to access the Internet that didn’t require constantly launching space junk into temporary orbit
Give me a ring when they lay fiber optic cable all around the interior of Africa. Until then, this is by far the best way for them to get high-speed internet. It is also damn good for people on boats and in rural areas.
For lots of people there isn’t.
Geostationary is more reliable but FAR slower and more expensive.
LEO is cheaper and faster even with these de-orbits. And on the plus side, deorbits from LEO don’t contribute to space junk.
Exactly. For anyone worried about space junk, LEO is a great place to put satellites. Anything put there, either on purpose or as a result of rocket debris (fairings, etc), just falls back to earth fairly quickly.