'Will Reenter The Earth's Atmosphere And Fully Demise Within Weeks'

A rare in-orbit malfunction involving a SpaceX Starlink satellite has drawn fresh attention to space safety risks at a time when Elon Musk’s company overwhelmingly dominates global launch activity.

Starlink Satellite Suffers Anomaly In Orbit

Earlier this week, SpaceX said one of its Starlink satellites experienced an anomaly in space that caused it to lose communications and generate a small amount of debris.

The satellite was operating at roughly 418 kilometers (about 260 miles) above Earth when the incident occurred, marking an unusual kinetic failure for the satellite internet provider.

“The satellite is largely intact, tumbling, and will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and fully demise within weeks,” Starlink said in a post on X.

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Rapid Altitude Drop Suggests Internal Failure

The company said the spacecraft quickly dropped about four kilometers in altitude.

SpaceX added that it is working with the U.S. Space Force and NASA to monitor the debris, though it did not disclose how many fragments were created.

Starlink also said that the satellite poses no danger to astronauts aboard the International Space Station. “The satellite’s current trajectory will place it below the Space Station, posing no risk to the orbiting lab or its crew,” the company said.

On December 17, Starlink experienced an anomaly on satellite 35956, resulting in loss of communications with the vehicle at 418 km. The anomaly led to venting of the propulsion tank, a rapid decay in semi-major axis by about 4 km, and the release of a small number of trackable…

— Starlink (@Starlink) December 18, 2025

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Space Trackers Detect Debris

Space-tracking firm LeoLabs said it detected tens of objects that likely resulted from the mishap and noted that further analysis could reveal additional fragments, reported Reuters.

LeoLabs said the satellite’s sudden drop in altitude supports the conclusion that the event was caused by an onboard issue rather than an external impact.

SpaceX Dominance Highlights Stakes

The incident comes as SpaceX’s role in global space activity continues to expand.

In November, Musk reshared a post citing data from The Launch Report showing SpaceX accounted for 97% of the orbital payload mass launched from the U.S. in the third quarter and 83% worldwide.

The report found that eight Chinese launch providers collectively account for 8.6% of the world’s orbital payload. It also noted that the Israel Defense Forces surpassed Rocket Lab (NASDAQ:RKLB) in the payload rankings.

Meanwhile, the aerospace and defense sector could be reshaped in 2026 as SpaceX eyes a public listing, with a projected $800 billion valuation that would surpass the combined market value of the six largest U.S. defense contractors.

‘Will Reenter The Earth’s Atmosphere And Fully Demise Within Weeks’

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