The SPHEREx preprint (arXiv:2605.27501, May 2026) reports that 73.3% of its early exposures from May-September 2025 already contain satellite trails, averaging 2.18 per frame, directly confirming earlier simulations of LEO mega-constellation impacts. This observational validation used the telescope's wide-field infrared imaging, sampling hundreds of pointings rather than targeted follow-up, yet the study remains a preprint without peer review and covers only a narrow temporal window before full constellation deployment. Beyond the source's focus on mitigation techniques like trail subtraction, the findings link commercial LEO expansion to systematic data erosion in optical and infrared archives, a pattern missed in prior coverage that treated trails as isolated nuisances rather than cumulative, non-recoverable losses. Related analyses, including a 2023 Nature Astronomy study on Starlink trails affecting Vera C. Rubin Observatory cadence and a 2024 IAU working group report on spectrum contamination, show similar exponential growth projections now borne out by SPHEREx. These connections highlight how launch manifests from 2026 onward could push contamination rates above 90% for facilities like Hubble, underscoring regulatory inaction that prioritizes connectivity over scientific heritage.