A second Starlink satellite exploded in orbit

(twitter.com)

48 points | by wmf a day ago ago

22 comments

  • bombcar a day ago ago

    Filing “fragment creation event” alongside “rapid unintended disassembly”.

    • dragonwriter a day ago ago

      A “fragment creation event” that was “likely caused by an internal energetic source”.

      • user____name 20 hours ago ago

        And "surrounded by too much hot air."

  • porphyra a day ago ago

    Fortunately,

    > Due to the low altitude of the event, fragments from this anomaly will likely de-orbit within a few weeks.

  • kelnos a day ago ago
  • manoDev a day ago ago

    Second? When was the first?

    Is this an instance of weaponization of the LEO? No statement from SpaceX?

    • dragonwriter a day ago ago

      > When was the first?

      17 December 2025, per the thread.

  • heyitsmedotjayb a day ago ago

    Do they have pressurized gas/liquid onboard that could explode or is this most likely a collision?

    • wmf a day ago ago

      They have argon gas for the ion thrusters that adjust the orbits.

    • verdverm a day ago ago

      If it were a collision, it would be far more noteworthy and likely in the title

      • heyitsmedotjayb 17 hours ago ago

        why would it be more noteworthy?

        • verdverm 13 hours ago ago

          It would involve a failure in coordination, observation, or management of orbits. These things make adjustments more often than people realize (aiui)

  • cozzyd a day ago ago

    Tubes must have gotten clogged

  • metalman a day ago ago

    if, just saying, someone had a huge fucking laser and wanted something to plink away at, and happened to look up at night, most anywhere on the planet, ran the numbers and figured the odds, and well elo's stuff does blow up regularly

    • DarmokJalad1701 a day ago ago

      > and well elo's stuff does blow up regularly

      [citations needed]

    • NetMageSCW a day ago ago

      Really? How many Starlink satellites have blown up? How many F9 second stages?

      • altairprime a day ago ago

        There are a lot of better ways to present your point; for example:

        How many batteries supplied with Elon Musk’s companies’ products have encountered an unplanned combustion event after light or no damage?

        Does SpaceX use in-house or third-party batteries in their satellites?

        Is their explosion rate of 2(?) per N, where N is the number of unexploded SpaceX satellites, plausibly still within the statistical ranges defined by non-SpaceX satellites given the data available to us?

        Did the satellite deflect before it exploded or are the shard trajectories consistent with a zero-impact scenario?

        etc.

        • vrighter a day ago ago

          hate to be pedantic, but for 2 out of N, n would have to be the sum of all satellites including the exploded ones

          • altairprime 19 hours ago ago

            You’re probably right but the question isn’t mine in the first place; look up some data and you’re set to discuss with OP. I was constructing communication examples, not mathematically-correct ones. Guess I did well enough at that!