Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
SpaceX has confirmed that 20 newly launched Starlink satellites will re-enter Earth's atmosphere after an anomaly occurred during their deployment.
The incident took place during a Falcon 9 rocket launch on Thursday night when the rocket's second-stage engine failed to complete its crucial second burn.
As a result, the satellites were deployed into a much lower orbit than intended, significantly reducing their chances of survival.
SpaceX reported that while contact was made with 10 of the satellites, they were in an "enormously high-drag environment" with a perigee just 135 km above Earth.
The company stated that the maximum available thrust from the satellites' ion thrusters would not be sufficient to raise their orbits, leading to their re-entry and demise.
SpaceX assured that the satellites would fully disintegrate upon re-entry and do not pose a threat to other satellites or public safety.
The failure marks a rare setback for the Falcon 9 rocket and SpaceX's Starlink project, which aims to build a global satellite internet network.
Elon Musk, SpaceX's CEO, acknowledged the situation on social media, humorously referencing Star Trek but admitting the efforts to save the satellites were unlikely to succeed.
This incident underscores the challenges of satellite deployment and the importance of precise orbital insertions, offering potential lessons for future missions and satellite recovery procedures.