SpaceX Starlink Satellite Suffers Anomaly, Falls from Orbit

A SpaceX Starlink satellite, designated 35956, has suffered an anomaly resulting in a loss of control and a descent toward Earth. According to The Verge, the incident led to the loss of communication with the satellite, a drop in altitude of approximately 4 kilometers, and venting of the propulsion tank, indicating a possible explosion.

Leo Labs, a space-tracking company, reported detecting multiple trackable objects around the satellite post-anomaly, suggesting that the issue stemmed from an internal energetic source rather than a collision.

The satellite was operating at an altitude of 418 kilometers in low Earth orbit, an area that is becoming increasingly congested with over 24,000 tracked objects. SpaceX has assured that the satellite poses no risk to the International Space Station and is expected to burn up in the atmosphere within weeks.

Furthermore, SpaceX is collaborating with NASA and the U.S. Space Force to monitor the situation and has reported that it is taking the event seriously, with engineers already deploying software updates to improve safeguards against future incidents.

As of now, SpaceX operates roughly 65% of all functional satellites in orbit, with an ongoing commitment to space safety and mitigation of space debris risks, having conducted around 145,000 evasive maneuvers in the first half of 2025 alone, as reported by Space.com.