SpaceX and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating a recent mishap that led to 20 Starlink satellites falling back to Earth. The incident occurred during a Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on 11 July.
The rocket’s first stage performed as expected, successfully separating and landing on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. However, a liquid oxygen leak in the second stage prevented it from completing its second burn, resulting in the satellites being deployed at an altitude of around 84 miles, far below the expected perigee.
SpaceX worked overnight to contact the satellites and issue early burn commands to correct their orbit, but the available thrust was insufficient. Consequently, all 20 satellites reentered Earth’s atmosphere and burned up on 12 July.
Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell confirmed the destruction of the satellites. SpaceX acknowledged the technical challenges of spaceflight and stated that a full investigation is underway under the FAA’s supervision.
The FAA must approve SpaceX’s final report, including corrective actions, before a return to flight. This mishap marks the first Falcon 9 launch failure since 2016 and the biggest loss of Starlink satellites in over two years.
