Satellite reentries — what's coming down right now
21 active objects below 260 km — live altitude, decay trend and a rough reentry window.
Which satellites are about to reenter? Below is the live list of the lowest active objects Cosmik is tracking — everything currently under 260 km, where atmospheric drag starts winning and a reentry becomes a days-to-weeks story. Each object has its own page with live altitude and a decay trend. Want a heads-up before the next one comes down? Get free reentry alerts.
Ready to paste
“As of September 2026, 21 active objects in orbit are below 260 km and expected to reenter — the lowest, STARLINK-2401, is at ~177 km. Data: Cosmik (gocosmik.com), CC-BY 4.0”
gocosmik.com/reentry#candidates
Reentry candidates right now
| Object | NORAD | Altitude | Trend | Reentry window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STARLINK-2401 | 47818 | ~177 km | falling fast | likely within days |
| STARLINK-2169 | 47752 | ~197 km | descending | days to a few weeks |
| STARLINK-32559 | 61915 | ~205 km | falling fast | likely within days |
| STARLINK-31811 | 60051 | ~222 km | falling fast | likely within days |
| STARLINK-2180 | 47762 | ~224 km | descending | weeks to a few months |
| STARLINK-4456 | 53673 | ~227 km | slowly decaying | weeks to a few months |
| STARLINK-1234 | 45190 | ~233 km | descending | weeks to a few months |
| COSMOS 2558 | 53323 | ~234 km | falling fast | likely within days |
| STARLINK-1319 | 45379 | ~237 km | descending | days to a few weeks |
| STARLINK-1770 | 46383 | ~237 km | slowly decaying | weeks to a few months |
| STARLINK-1805 | 46705 | ~237 km | descending | days to a few weeks |
| STARLINK-2291 | 47862 | ~237 km | slowly decaying | weeks to a few months |
| STARLINK-1598 | 46160 | ~241 km | falling fast | likely within days |
| NUSAT-40 (C SHOEMAKER) | 56943 | ~241 km | falling fast | likely within days |
| DONGPO 02 | 53452 | ~243 km | descending | weeks to a few months |
| STARLINK-5055 | 54015 | ~249 km | descending | weeks to a few months |
| QIANKUN-1 | 57422 | ~253 km | slowly decaying | weeks to a few months |
| STARLINK-3069 | 49176 | ~254 km | falling fast | likely within days |
| STARLINK-4451 | 53492 | ~254 km | slowly decaying | weeks to a few months |
| STARLINK-2336 | 47879 | ~257 km | slowly decaying | weeks to a few months |
| STARLINK-3893 | 52579 | ~259 km | slowly decaying | weeks to a few months |
Sorted by altitude — the lowest object is closest to reentry. Data: live CelesTrak/NORAD orbital elements, propagated now with SGP4. Updated September 2026.
How reentry predictions work
Every satellite feels a faint atmospheric drag. As an object's altitude drops, each orbit gets a little lower and a little faster, until it dips deep enough into the atmosphere to burn up. Cosmik reads the same live orbital data behind the 3D map, propagates each object with SGP4 to get its current altitude and 24-hour decay rate, and lists everything below 260 km here. This is a drag-threshold heuristic, not a precise window — atmospheric density swings with solar activity, so real reentry timing can move by hours or days. We show a deliberately coarse window and say so on every page.
What happens when they come down
The overwhelming majority of these objects burn up completely, sometimes as a bright, slow fireball crossing the sky. Only large or dense pieces reach the ground, almost always over ocean or empty land. Read what happens when satellites fall for why most burn up and what (rarely) survives, or see the bigger picture on how much space debris is in orbit.
Get notified before the next reentry
Don't want to keep checking? Turn on reentry alerts and Cosmik will send a free push or email when an object is predicted to fall — with the current window and a link to follow it live. More on how it works: satellite reentry alerts.
Explore the live data
Watch any of these objects descend on the live satellite tracker, browse the full satellite database, see how many satellites are in orbit, or read what happens when satellites fall.
