Overview
- A Dec. 17 anomaly at about 418 kilometers caused loss of communications, venting of the propulsion tank, a roughly 4-kilometer orbital drop, and a small number of trackable objects.
- SpaceX reports the satellite remains largely intact and tumbling and is expected to fully burn up in Earth’s atmosphere within weeks.
- LeoLabs says its radars detected tens of objects and assesses an internal energetic source as the likely cause rather than a collision.
- SpaceX is coordinating with the U.S. Space Force and NASA to monitor the fragments, and the satellite’s path is below the International Space Station with no risk to the crew.
- The incident follows a reported close approach involving a Chinese-launched payload and a Starlink satellite, which CAS Space has disputed, underscoring calls for better operator coordination.