Starlink Satellite Suffers Orbital Anomaly, Begins Uncontrolled Descent Toward Earth

One of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband internet satellites has suffered a serious anomaly in orbit and is now plunging back toward Earth, the company has confirmed.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, December 17, when the Starlink spacecraft operating at an altitude of about 260 miles (418 kilometres) experienced a malfunction that led to a complete loss of communication, according to SpaceX-owned Starlink.

In a statement posted on X on Thursday, December 18, Starlink representatives disclosed that the anomaly triggered a venting of the satellite’s propulsion tank, resulting in a rapid orbital decay of approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 miles).

The incident also caused the release of a small number of trackable objects moving at low relative velocity, suggesting the propulsion system may have ruptured or sustained structural damage.

“The satellite is largely intact, tumbling, and will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and fully demise within weeks,” Starlink said.

The company added that the spacecraft’s current trajectory places it below the orbit of the International Space Station, posing no risk to the orbiting laboratory or its crew.

SpaceX emphasised its commitment to space safety, describing the incident as a serious matter that is already under investigation.

“As the world’s largest satellite constellation operator, we are deeply committed to space safety,” the company said. “Our engineers are rapidly working to find the 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.”

Starlink operates the largest satellite constellation ever assembled, with nearly 9,300 active satellites currently in orbit, accounting for roughly 65 per cent of all functioning spacecraft circling the Earth. The constellation continues to expand rapidly.

SpaceX has launched 122 Starlink missions this year alone, deploying more than 3,000 satellites into low Earth orbit.

Each Starlink satellite has an expected operational lifespan of about five years, after which SpaceX intentionally deorbits the spacecraft to prevent the accumulation of space debris.

The company has also invested heavily in autonomous collision-avoidance systems, allowing its satellites to manoeuvre without human intervention.

These systems are frequently used. In the first six months of 2025, Starlink satellites conducted approximately 145,000 evasive manoeuvres, an average of about four per satellite each month, to avoid potential collisions.

However, SpaceX has warned that not all satellite operators apply the same level of coordination and responsibility. Just last week, a satellite deployed by a Chinese rocket reportedly passed within 200 metres of a Starlink spacecraft without adequate prior warning.

“As far as we know, no coordination or deconfliction with existing satellites operating in space was performed,” said Michael Nicolls, vice president of Starlink engineering at SpaceX, in a post on X dated December 12. “Most of the risk of operating in space comes from the lack of coordination between satellite operators; this needs to change.”

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