According to data from a satellite tracking website, SpaceX's Starlink satellite Internet constellation has lost more than 200 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) since July. This is the first time Starlink has lost a large number of satellites in a short period of time. These losses are usually caused by solar flares, which can cause orbital changes and damage or destroy spacecraft.
It's unclear what the nature (i.e. model) of these satellites is, and if they are the newer Starlink satellites that SpaceX launches regularly, the company would have to conduct at least nine Falcon 9 launches to make up for the lost satellites.
As a subsidiary of SpaceX, Starlink quickly established the world's largest low-Earth orbit satellite Internet constellation and the world's largest satellite constellation through the rapid launch of the Falcon 9 rocket. However, due to spacecraft upgrades and Falcon 9 limitations, the number of satellites the company can launch has been reduced. The number of satellites recently launched was approximately 22, which is nearly a third less than the 60 satellites SpaceX launched in the early stages of Starlink construction.
The newer satellites are second-generation spacecraft that SpaceX received authorization to launch from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) less than a year ago. They are more powerful and therefore larger and heavier than earlier satellites, which limits Falcon 9's ability to squeeze a large number of satellites into a single payload fairing.
Satellites in orbit or in space must face various hazards that can damage the satellite or render it inoperable. SpaceX encountered such a situation in February 2022, when a solar flare damaged at least 40 recently launched satellites. SpaceX confirmed this and said the heat generated by solar flares increased the density of the atmosphere, making it impossible for satellites to maintain their orbit.
However, if the data from satellite tracking website satellitemap.space is accurate, the company may have to speed up the launch. The website tracks the total number of Starlink satellites launched, the number of satellites that are operational, the number of satellites that are out of service, and the number of satellites that are burned out.
Data shows that as of July 15, 353 Starlink satellites have burned up in the atmosphere, and as of the latest reading, this number has jumped by more than 200 to 568 satellites. In comparison, only 248 satellites burned out at the beginning of the year, so the number of satellites burned out in the past two months is higher than the number in the first seven months of the year.
In the weeks after its Starlink satellite fell victim to a solar flare, SpaceX detailed the steps it is taking to ensure its sustainability. It said the satellite has functions such as "dodge" and can retract its solar panels in the event of a collision. SpaceX also added that the satellites' low orbit reduces the chance of them polluting Earth's orbit, as they burn up in the atmosphere rather than lingering in Earth's orbit for years before losing altitude to gravity.
SpaceX regularly files updates on the health of its constellation with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), but those submissions are made biannually, so data from satellites that have burned out since July is unlikely to be available soon. Its soon-to-be rival Amazon subsidiary Kuiper hopes to launch experimental satellites as soon as possible, while SpaceX has committed to the FCC to launch some second-generation satellites on a schedule to avoid paying fines.