Arabella Asis Science 02.14.2024 22:Feb PM EST

SpaceX to De-Orbit 100 Starlink Satellites After Detecting Issue

SpaceX announced its plan to retire around 100 Starlink satellites after a common issue was found and could pose a long-term risk later on.

In a released statement, SpaceX detailed that 17 are currently "non-maneuverable, passively decaying." Regardless, the company assured that these are well-tracked and will mitigate the collision risk with other active satellites.

(Photo : SpaceX Twitter/ screen grabbed from SpaceX Twitter Account)

SpaceX to Perform Controlled De-Orbit

As a solution, SpaceX confirmed that it will conduct a controlled descent for approximately 100 early-version 1 Starlink satellites. Although these satellites are still performing well, a common issue was found within its population that could increase the failure rate in the future.

"As we lower and deorbit our satellites, SpaceX will continue to share high-fidelity future position and uncertainty prediction information, multiple times a day, with other operators and launch providers," the company assured.

The chosen satellites will follow a safe, circular, and controlled lowering process and will take around six months. This type of process was picked over ballistic deorbitting due to its safety. The satellites will also fall one by one and not all together.

SpaceX Assures Uninterrupted Service for Customers

On the other hand, Starlink users should not worry about any service interruption. Currently, there are nearly 6,000 satellites up there with only 406 having been de-orbited.

"SpaceX has the capacity to build up to 55 satellites per week and launch more than 200 satellites per month, which allows us to continually improve our system and make it more resilient," the company announced.

Moreover, the satellite company also encourages other satellite owners and operators to safely de-orbit satellites before they become non-maneuverable. SpaceX also shared that operators should actively publish information about the condition and positions of the satellite.