An unexpected technical issue disrupted one of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites in orbit, briefly raising concerns around space debris and satellite safety.
Starlink confirmed that one of its satellites experienced an anomaly in space on Wednesday while operating at an altitude of 418 km. The incident led to a loss of communication with the spacecraft and produced a small amount of debris, marking a rare kinetic event for the satellite internet operator.
In a statement shared on X, Starlink said, “The satellite is largely intact, tumbling, and will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and fully demise within weeks.” Following the mishap, the satellite dropped by 4 km in altitude, indicating that some form of internal failure or explosion likely occurred onboard.
The affected satellite was part of Starlink’s broadband internet network, which currently consists of nearly 10,000 satellites in orbit. SpaceX said it is working closely with the U.S. Space Force and NASA to track and monitor the debris generated by the incident, though it did not specify the exact number of fragments.
Space tracking firm LeoLabs reported detecting tens of debris pieces linked to the event and noted that more fragments could be identified as analysis continues. According to LeoLabs, the sudden loss in altitude suggests the anomaly was caused by an internal malfunction rather than a collision with another object in space.
The space tracking division of the U.S. Space Force did not immediately comment on the scale of the debris, which could pose potential risks to other operational satellites. However, the incident appears limited compared to previous orbital breakups, such as the Intelsat satellite failure that created over 700 debris pieces, or a Chinese rocket body breakup recorded last year.
The event comes amid a rapid increase in the number of spacecraft deployed in Earth’s orbit. Governments and private companies are launching thousands of satellites to support internet connectivity, communications, and Earth observation services.
Space policy experts and industry leaders have repeatedly called for clearer international rules to manage orbital traffic and improve coordination among satellite operators, particularly as activity increases involving major spacefaring nations like the U.S. and China.
Last week, SpaceX Vice President of Starlink Engineering Michael Nicolls said on X that a satellite from a recently launched Chinese mission passed within 200 meters of a Starlink satellite. “As far as we know, no coordination or deconfliction with existing satellites operating in space was performed,” Nicolls said. “Most of the risk of operating in space comes from the lack of coordination between satellite operators this needs to change.”
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