SpaceX Starlink Satellite Suffers On-Orbit Anomaly; Company Assures No ISS Threat

A Starlink satellite recently encountered a problem while in orbit, according to SpaceX. The company confirmed that communication was lost with satellite 35956 following an anomaly that occurred on December 17th.

In a statement shared on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, SpaceX reported that the satellite ceased responding at an altitude of approximately 418 kilometers. This malfunction triggered a release of the satellite's propulsion tank contents, which, in turn, caused its orbit to rapidly degrade. The event also resulted in the creation of a small number of objects that can be tracked, moving at relatively low speeds.

SpaceX is collaborating with both the U.S. Space Force and NASA to carefully monitor these objects and evaluate their trajectories. Despite the communication failure and orbital shift, the satellite itself remains largely intact. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. it is currently tumbling and is projected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere within the coming weeks, where it will completely disintegrate. Importantly, Starlink emphasized that the decaying satellite's path will remain below the orbit of the International Space Station, ensuring no risk to the orbiting laboratory or its personnel.

SpaceX also included the original statement on X:

On December 17, Starlink experienced an anomaly on satellite 35956, resulting in loss of communications with the vehicle at 418 km. The anomaly led to venting of the propulsion tank, a rapid decay in semi-major axis by about 4 km, and the release of a small number of trackable low relative velocity objects. SpaceX is coordinating with the @USSpaceForce and @NASA to monitor the objects.The satellite is largely intact, tumbling, and will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and fully demise within weeks. The satellite's current trajectory will place it below the @Space_Station, posing no risk to the orbiting lab or its crew.As the world’s largest satellite constellation operator, we are deeply committed to space safety. We take these events seriously. Our engineers are rapidly working to root cause and mitigate the source of the anomaly and are already in the process of deploying software to our vehicles that increases protections against this type of event.

As the operator of the largest satellite constellation in the world, SpaceX has affirmed its strong commitment to space safety. The company is treating this incident with utmost seriousness. Engineers are actively working to determine the underlying cause of the anomaly and implement measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future. As a proactive step, SpaceX is already deploying updated software to its other satellites, designed to enhance protection against this type of event.