SpaceX faced the problem of Starlink satellite falling into the atmosphere

The satellite encountered a problem last week, most likely due to an internal cause rather than an external collision, while flying around the atmosphere at an altitude of 418 km. The incident resulted in loss of communications, the release of fuel tanks and the “release of a small number of trackable relatively low velocity objects”.

SpaceX asked space technology company Vantor to take pictures of the damaged satellite to better understand its condition. WorldView-3, Vantor’s Earth observation satellite, accomplished its mission by capturing the Starlink satellite from a distance of 150 miles, while both were flying over Alaska. The photo has a resolution of 12 cm, providing SpaceX with important information.

“Our team leveraged the advanced capabilities of extraterrestrial imaging technology and extensive data collection capabilities to act quickly, providing SpaceX with information confirming that their satellite was largely intact. Providing this rapid information helped them assess possible damage to the satellite,” Todd Surdey, Vantor’s Executive Vice President, said late last week.

“We appreciate Vantor providing timely imagery. Additional data shows there was a small amount of traceable debris from the incident. We expect the satellite and debris to fall back into the atmosphere, completely disintegrating within weeks,” Michael Nicolls, Vice President of Starlink Engineering at SpaceX, wrote on X. According to SpaceX, the debris and the satellite itself will not pose a danger to other space vehicles in low Earth orbit (LEO).

Starlink is the largest satellite network ever built. This network includes about 9,300 active satellites, accounting for 65% of the total number of satellites operating in Earth orbit. Although it creates a useful communications infrastructure, Starlink also makes astronomical observations difficult, increases space debris and increases the risk of collisions in space.