TITUSVILLE, Fla. — SpaceX plans to remove from orbit about 100 of its older Starlink satellites because of a design flaw that could cause them to fail.
In a statement Feb. 12, SpaceX said it would perform controlled descents of about 100 “early-version 1” Starlink satellites out of concerns that the spacecraft could fail in orbit and no longer be maneuver.
“These satellites are currently maneuverable and serving users effectively, but the Starlink team identified a common issue in this small population of satellites that could increase the probability of failure in the future,” SpaceX stated. The company did not elaborate on that issue or identify the specific satellites affected.
According to statistics maintained by Jonathan McDowell, SpaceX has 5,438 Starlink satellites in orbit, out of 5,828 launched to date. The oldest still in orbit are from an initial group of version 1 satellites launched in 2019 and 2020 that lacked visors added to later satellites intended to reduce the amount of sunlight they reflect, reducing their brightness. Of those 420 satellites, 337 remain in orbit.
SpaceX said the satellites being deorbited will lower their orbits gradually over about six months. “All satellites will maintain maneuverability and collision avoidance capabilities during the descent,” the company stated. “Additionally, these deorbiting satellites will take maneuver responsibility for any high-risk conjunctions consistent with space safety and sustainability best practices.”
The growth of the Starlink constellation, by far the largest in orbit, has triggered debate about space traffic management and space sustainability. There has been a push for new regulations to govern the growth of satellites and debris and ensure satellites are promptly deorbited at the end of their lives.
During a panel discussion at a space debris conference organized by the Saudi Space Agency Feb. 12, Ernst Pfeiffer, chief executive of German…
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