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Because they fall back to the ground…

No, the burn up in the atmosphere. Burning metals being added to the oxygen you breathe.

They fall back towards the ground... Happy now?

The operational lifetime of their satellites is about 5 years.

They are low earth orbit satellites. Generally, the lower the orbit, the faster they decay. You could also argue that this is a benefit in that they gain updated technology with each replacement.

> You could also argue that this is a benefit in that they gain updated technology with each replacement.

No, having the option to replace technology at your leisure would be a benefit. Being forced to replace your technology because it's destined to become aerosolized aluminum in less than five years is a detriment.

Planned obsolescence really only works well if someone else is paying.

low earth orbit

because of gravity

More because of drag