SpaceX Starlink Satellite Breaks Apart in Orbit, Raising Fresh Fears Over Space Debris

The recent destruction of a Starlink satellite has reignited urgent conversations regarding the safety of our orbital environment.

As more fragments scatter across the sky, experts warn that the growing cloud of metallic waste poses a serious risk to future space missions. This incident serves as a stark reminder of how fragile the path to global connectivity can truly be.

The Incident in Orbit

On Wednesday, 17 December, a SpaceX Starlink internet satellite experienced trouble in orbit and is currently falling back towards our planet. The firm reported that the incident caused a complete loss of contact with the craft, which had been circling at an altitude of 260 miles (418 kilometres).

Furthermore, SpaceX's Starlink team shared on X on Thursday morning (18 December) that the fault caused the fuel tank to vent and the craft's altitude to drop by roughly 2.5 miles (4 kilometres).

The update also mentioned that several small pieces of debris were released at low speeds. This account indicates that the satellite's propellant container may have burst or sustained other damage.

Monitoring the Debris

The update noted that SpaceX is currently collaborating with NASA and the US Space Force to track the recently scattered fragments. The company highlighted that there is little cause for alarm. 'The satellite is largely intact, tumbling, and will reenter the Earth's atmosphere and fully disintegrate within weeks. The satellite's current trajectory will place it below the @Space_Station, posing no risk to the orbiting lab or its crew,' Starlink representatives wrote.

'As the world's largest satellite constellation operator, we are deeply committed to space safety,' they added. 'We take these events seriously. Our engineers are rapidly working to root cause and mitigate the source of the anomaly and are already in the process of deploying software to our vehicles that increases protections against this type of event.'

Dominance in the Skies

The Starlink network is the largest constellation of satellites ever assembled. It presently includes nearly 9,300 operational units, meaning SpaceX manages roughly 65% of all active craft currently circling our world. This figure is rising steadily.

Within this year alone, SpaceX has completed 122 Starlink missions, delivering more than 3,000 satellites into low Earth orbit. These Starlink units are built to last roughly 5 years, and SpaceX deliberately brings each craft down before it fails in space, according to a report by Space.com.

Proactive Measures

The firm has implemented additional strategies to reduce the risk of orbital waste caused by its massive network. For instance, Starlink craft are designed to steer clear of potential impacts on their own—a capability they use quite frequently. During the first half of 2025, these satellites performed roughly 145,000 evasive manoeuvres, averaging about four defensive moves per craft per month.

However, there is no assurance that every satellite management team is as diligent. For instance, just last week, a craft launched by a Chinese rocket came dangerously close to a Starlink unit, seemingly without any advance warning.

Communication Shortfalls

'As far as we know, no coordination or deconfliction with existing satellites operating in space was performed, resulting in a 200-meter close approach between one of the deployed satellites and STARLINK-6079 (56120) at 560 km altitude.

Most of the risk of operating in space comes from the lack of coordination between satellite operators — this needs to change,' Michael Nicolls, vice president of Starlink engineering at SpaceX, said via X on 12 December.