SpaceX confirmed Saturday that it had completed the controlled deorbit of roughly 260 first-generation Starlink satellites, the largest single batch of retirements to date. The company is replacing them with newer V2 hardware, with reentries designed to burn up over open ocean.

The move follows reports earlier in the week of an unusually high number of Starlink satellites descending from orbit. SpaceX retires its aging first-generation spacecraft before they lose maneuverability, reducing collision risks in low Earth orbit. The company operates the world's largest satellite constellation, with more than 8,000 units aloft.

SpaceX said the deorbits were routine and part of a designed five-year satellite lifecycle. Each satellite is guided into the atmosphere, where the majority of its structure vaporizes at altitude. The company has emphasized that no debris was expected to survive to the surface.

Atmospheric scientists have raised concerns about the long-term effects of vaporized satellite materials. Researchers at institutions including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have previously documented aluminum and other metals from reentries accumulating in the stratosphere, warning that the chemistry remains poorly understood.

A NOAA atmospheric chemist said: "These are not immediate hazards to people on the ground, but the cumulative injection of metals into the upper atmosphere is something we need to study carefully."