SpaceX has lost control of Starlink satellite 35956 in low Earth orbit at 418 km (260 miles) altitude following an anomaly that caused it to fall back to Earth. The incident involved sudden loss of communications, a drop in altitude, venting of the propulsion tank, and release of a small number of trackable low-relative-velocity objects.
SpaceX described the sequence of events, stating the satellite suffered these failures, which indicate some kind of explosion. The company confirmed the event poses no threat to the crew of the International Space Station. All resulting debris will burn up completely in Earth’s atmosphere within weeks, according to SpaceX.
The mishap occurred one week after SpaceX reported a near miss involving one of its satellites and a Chinese satellite, highlighting ongoing challenges in orbital traffic management.
Space-tracking firm Leo Labs analyzed the incident affecting Starlink 35956. The company determined the event was likely caused by an internal energetic source rather than a collision with another object. Leo Labs’ radar network detected tens of objects around the satellite immediately after the event.
The incident took place in low Earth orbit, a region currently hosting over 24,000 tracked objects that include operational satellites and debris pieces. This altitude range supports numerous missions requiring proximity to Earth for communication and observation purposes.
Projections indicate that by the end of the decade, the same orbital region could accommodate as many as 70,000 satellites. These would primarily serve space-internet constellations such as Starlink, with launches conducted by private companies and government organizations in the United States, China, and Europe. The growing satellite density in this area presents challenges for astronomers due to increased light pollution and raises the potential for collisions between objects.
