Space Exploration Technologies Corp. President Gwynne Shotwell announced she and her husband will donate SpaceX shares to Trump Accounts for more than 2 million American children. The donation targets children ages 11 to 17 living in areas with lower average household incomes, with specific emphasis on regions near central Texas. Shotwell stated the gift aims to encourage the next generation to support humanity's future among the stars.

Program Scope and Eligibility

The Trump Accounts program, launched through the Invest America effort on July 4, 2026, provides eligible children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, with a $1,000 federal seed investment. Older children may open accounts but do not receive the government deposit. Accounts are privately owned, locked until age 18, and can be used for college, home purchases, business ventures, or continued investment.

Corporate and Billionaire Support

Shotwell's commitment adds to a roster of significant pledges. Michael and Susan Dell have committed $6.25 billion to provide $250 each to 25 million children, while Ray and Barbara Dalio pledged at least $75 million for over 300,000 children in Connecticut. Brad Gerstner, founder of Altimeter Capital, thanked the Shotwells for their generosity, noting the shares will remain locked until the beneficiaries reach adulthood.

Employee Matching Initiatives

Major financial institutions have integrated Trump Accounts into employee benefits. JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp., Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley announced $1,000 matches for eligible employees' children. Vanguard, Coinbase, and Charles Schwab have also joined the broader corporate support push.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. guided 260 Starlink satellites to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere between Dec. 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026, according to a semiannual compliance report filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The disposals are part of the company's strategy to manage its growing constellation, which currently operates more than 10,000 satellites, as it expands the network and pushes Starlink Mobile, a direct-to-phone service.

Satellite Fleet Management

The filing specified that 176 of the deorbited satellites belonged to the first-generation Starlink constellation, while the remaining units came from the Gen2 fleet. Additionally, 349 satellites were decommissioned during the same period and are expected to be disposed of in the coming months. The satellites are designed to last about five years, allowing SpaceX to swap aging spacecraft for newer models as fuel runs low.

At the end of their operational life, a Starlink satellite uses its remaining fuel to lower its orbit. Atmospheric drag then pulls the spacecraft down, where heat and friction burn it up rather than leaving dead hardware in low Earth orbit.

Disposal Statistics and Fleet Weight

The pace of satellite removal has become routine for the massive constellation. Tracking data compiled by astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell indicates that a total of 1,357 Starlink satellites have re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere and burned up to date. SpaceX has stated that retrieval is impractical due to the weight of the units.

Regulatory Approvals and Future Expansion

The disposals coincide with SpaceX's efforts to secure approval for a much larger Starlink network. In January, the FCC approved 7,500 additional Gen2 satellites. The company has long discussed a constellation that could eventually reach 42,000 satellites.

SpaceX’s ambitions also extend to orbital data centers intended to bypass Earth’s strained power grids. The company has sought FCC permission for up to 1 million compute satellites, unveiled an AI1 design, and outlined a Terafab chip project in Bastrop, Texas. SpaceX expects specialized facilities to assemble AI satellites by late 2027, with initial orbital compute launches targeted for 2028.