В официальных документах SpaceX обещают, что спутники будут возвращаться в атмосферу примерно через год после завершения работы.
«SpaceX anticipates that its LEO Constellation satellites will reenter the Earths atmosphere
within approximately one year after completion of their mission much sooner than the
international standard of 25 years. After the mission is complete, the spacecraft (regardless of
operational altitude) will be moved to a 1,075 km circular orbit in its operational inclination, then
gradually lowered until the propellant is exhausted, achieving a perigee of at most 300 km. After
all propellant is consumed, the spacecraft will be reoriented to maximize the vehicles total crosssectional area, a configuration also stable in the direction of aerodynamic drag. Finally, the
spacecraft will begin to passivate itself by de-spinning reaction wheels and drawing batteries down
to a safe level and powering down. Over the following months, the denser atmosphere will
gradually lower the satellites apogee until its eventual atmospheric demise.»