20 Starlink satellites destroyed after failing Falcon 9 launch last week, burned up in the upper atmosphere after falling back to Earth.
The Starlink satellite cluster was deployed earlier than planned when SpaceX’s rocket encountered issues last week. New observational data confirms that all satellites burned up in the upper atmosphere after re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. Currently, experts are investigating what happened, and the Falcon 9 rocket remains grounded until the investigation concludes, Live Science reported on July 15.
Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 11. (Photo: Patrick T. Fallon)
On July 11, SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:35 PM local time, a day later than initially planned. The launch proceeded as expected at first, with the first stage of the rocket successfully separating from the second stage carrying the satellites before landing on an autonomous ship in the Pacific Ocean. However, the second stage was unable to complete its second burn due to a liquid oxygen leak, leaving it stranded in low Earth orbit.
The second stage of the rocket was still able to release its payload. However, the satellites were left in an elliptical orbit around Earth at a minimum altitude of 135 km, half the altitude at which Starlink satellites typically operate. At this altitude, atmospheric drag slowed the satellites down, causing them to start descending back to Earth at a rate of about 5 km for each completed orbital cycle, SpaceX representatives announced on July 11. “With such drag, the available thrust is likely insufficient to successfully elevate the satellites,” SpaceX stated.
The company attempted to control most of the satellites and fired their engines at maximum thrust in an effort to adjust their altitude. However, these efforts were not enough to save the satellite cluster. Subsequent observations from Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at Harvard University, confirmed that all 20 satellites burned up on July 12. They posed no threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety. So far, there have been no reports of debris falling to the ground.
This is the first launch failure of the Falcon 9 since 2016 and the largest loss of Starlink satellites since February 2022, when a geomagnetic storm caused 40 satellites to fall shortly after entering Earth’s orbit. SpaceX is investigating the incident under the supervision of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The company will be unable to launch any Falcon 9 rockets until the investigation concludes. An anonymous industry expert indicated that the rocket might be out of service for several months, leading to significant disruptions in the company’s launch schedule for the second half of the year.
