Yes. All LEO satellites have rather limited lifespans. They orbit at lower altitudes to reduce connection latency. This also means that they still feel some amount of atmospheric drag from the upper remnants of the atmosphere, so slow down over time.
This is huge. Having another option for global internet connectivity that isn’t dependent on the US Empire is going to be amazing for the global south.
I wonder if these are short lived like Starlink’s satellites
Yes. All LEO satellites have rather limited lifespans. They orbit at lower altitudes to reduce connection latency. This also means that they still feel some amount of atmospheric drag from the upper remnants of the atmosphere, so slow down over time.
This is huge. Having another option for global internet connectivity that isn’t dependent on the US Empire is going to be amazing for the global south.
I think all low orbit satellites have to be due to there being a lot of drag.