Can Musk's Starlink Smash People Like a Pancake?

Recently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States submitted a report to the US Congress, stating that the satellite system of SpaceX, a space technology exploration company, poses "serious risks" that could lead to aviation accidents and casualties. This report has sparked a strong response from SpaceX.

According to a report by CNN on the 11th, the FAA stated in its latest report that by 2035, the rockets and satellites used in the Starlink program will generate a large amount of debris, with 28,000 fragments potentially penetrating the atmosphere and hitting the ground. This would result in an average of one person being "killed or injured by debris" every two years on Earth.

It is understood that the FAA's latest report is mainly based on analysis and data from a non-profit research organization called "Aerospace Corporation" in California, USA. On the 9th, SpaceX strongly responded to the report, claiming that it was "absurd, unreasonable, and inaccurate" and requested that the federal regulatory authorities "correct" it.

SpaceX's Chief Engineer, Gottesman, criticized the report for having "serious flaws" and stated that their conclusions were based on "speculation, assumptions, and outdated research methods." In a letter to the FAA, SpaceX claimed that their decommissioned satellites would fully burn up and be destroyed upon reentry into the atmosphere, and that there would be no falling incidents at all. The company also stated in the letter that since February 2020, a total of 325 Starlink satellites have been decommissioned and deorbited, but there have been no satellite debris on the ground so far. CNN reported that the FAA has stated that they are evaluating SpaceX's appeal.