20 Starlink Satellites Burned Up in the Atmosphere

This updated overview organizes the essential information about Starlink Satellites Burned Up in the Atmosphere, including practical uses, key features, setup considerations, and common questions.

SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Base in California at 9:35 a.m. on July 12, 2024.

The initial launch went normally and the lower stage successfully separated from the upper stage containing 20 satellites, and landed on the unmanned ship in the Pacific Ocean. However, the upper stage was later unable to complete the relaunch procedure due to a liquid oxygen leak, leaving it stranded in low Earth orbit.

This upper stage is trapped in an elliptical orbit around the Earth at a minimum altitude of 135 km, only half the altitude at which they usually operate despite still deploying satellites. Here, satellites slow down due to atmospheric resistance. And every time they complete an orbit, they lose about 5 km of altitude, then reenter the atmosphere and burn up completely. All 20 satellites burned up on July 12, 2024.

SpaceX said the burning satellites did not pose a threat to other satellites in orbit or affect public safety. There are currently no reports of any satellite reaching the ground.

In February 2022, SpaceX also lost 40 Starlink satellites when a geomagnetic storm pulled them down shortly after they were put into orbit.

Close-up of SpaceX satellite burning in the atmosphere, beautiful like fireworks

The astronomy group Sociedad de Astronomía del Caribbean captured a vivid scene of a Starlink satellite disintegrating in Puerto Rico on February 7, 2022.

In the video, SpaceX's satellite burns and 'blooms' like fireworks. These could be pieces of the same satellite or could potentially be different pieces of different moons.