SpaceX has confirmed that 20 satellites – blasted off the Flacon 9 rocket from California, US on Thursday — will crash back to Earth. The company said that there had been a liquid oxygen leak developed in the second stage.
In a statement released on its official website, the company said, “Falcon 9’s second stage performed its first burn nominally, however a liquid oxygen leak developed on the second stage. After a planned relight of the upper stage engine to raise perigee – or the lowest point of orbit – the Merlin Vacuum engine experienced an anomaly and was unable to complete its second burn.”
SpaceX, in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), shared details about its team’s effort to contact the satellites. It said, “SpaceX has made contact with 5 of the satellites so far and is attempting to have them raise orbit using their ion thrusters.”
During tonight’s Falcon 9 launch of Starlink, the second stage engine did not complete its second burn. As a result, the Starlink satellites were deployed into a lower than intended orbit.
SpaceX has made contact with 5 of the satellites so far and is attempting to have them…
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 12, 2024
In a follow-up post, SpaceX said that the team was able to get in touch with 10 of the satellites. “The team made contact with 10 of the satellites and attempted to have them raise orbit using their ion thrusters, but they are in an enormously high-drag environment with their perigee, or lowest point of their elliptical orbit, only 135 km above the Earth.”
The team made contact with 10 of the satellites and attempted to have them raise orbit using their ion thrusters, but they are in an enormously high-drag environment with their perigee, or lowest point of their elliptical orbit, only 135 km above the Earth
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 12, 2024
Explaining the possible reasons behind the satellite failure, the company said, “Each pass through perigee removes 5+ km of altitude from the highest point in the satellite orbit. At this level of drag, our maximum available thrust is unlikely to be enough to successfully raise the satellites.”
Each pass through perigee removes 5+ km of altitude from the highest point in the satellite orbit. At this level of drag, our maximum available thrust is unlikely to be enough to successfully raise the satellites.
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 12, 2024
SpaceX has also assured that the re-entering of satellites into Earth’s atmosphere “does not pose a threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety.”
As such, the satellites will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and fully demise. They do not pose a threat to other satellites in orbit or to public safety.https://t.co/96M1qY6Juw
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 12, 2024
SpaceX boss Elon Musk too have reacted to the series of posts shared by his company on X.
We’re updating satellite software to run the ion thrusters at their equivalent of warp 9.
Unlike a Star Trek episode, this will probably not work, but it’s worth a shot.
The satellite thrusters need to raise orbit faster than atmospheric drag pulls them down or they burn up.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2024
The tech billionaire said, “We’re updating satellite software to run the ion thrusters at their equivalent of warp 9. Unlike a Star Trek episode, this will probably not work, but it’s worth a shot. The satellite thrusters need to raise orbit faster than atmospheric drag pulls them down or they burn up.”
