On December 18, a communication issue was reported by SpaceX’s Starlink concerning one of its satellites. The problem arose from an anomaly in space, generating a modest amount of debris at an altitude of 418 km (259.73 miles). This type of incident is quite rare for the satellite internet giant.
According to Starlink’s announcement on platform X, the satellite remains mostly intact but is in a tumbling state. They anticipate that it will reenter Earth’s atmosphere and completely disintegrate within a few weeks.
SpaceX is collaborating with the U.S. Space Force and NASA to monitor the pieces of debris. However, the company did not disclose the exact number of debris fragments created.
As for the Space Force’s space-tracking unit, they haven’t supplied any information yet regarding how many fragments are trackable or indicate the risk they might pose to other operational satellites in orbit.
Overall, while the incident is serious, it appears to be less severe compared to notable past events, such as the destruction of an Intelsat satellite that resulted in over 700 debris pieces, or the breakup of a Chinese rocket body last year.
