SpaceX Starlink Satellite Malfunctions, Breaks Apart in Orbit
By Passant Rabie
Published on March 31, 2026.
SpaceX lost contact with one of its Starlink satellites due to an in-orbit malfunction, leading to a small field of debris in low-Earth orbit. The company is working to identify the cause of the anomaly, but confirmed that it does not pose a risk to the International Space Station (ISS), the upcoming launch of the Artemis 2 mission, or SpaceX’s Transporter-16 mission. The satellite was orbiting Earth at an altitude of approximately 347 miles (560 kilometers) above the surface. Orbital tracking company LeoLabs detected tens of fragments within the vicinity of the satellite over its radar site in the Azores, Portugal. The resulting debris will likely deorbit within a few weeks.
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