SpaceX suffers another Starlink satellite anomaly: ISS and Artemis II safe

SpaceX has suffered two Starlink satellite incidents in three months, both explained as 'anomalies' with root causes yet to be disclosed. While SpaceX insists the debris field doesn't threaten the ISS or the Artemis II mission to the moon, with 9,500 satellites and counting, space debris is a growing concern.

SpaceX has a recurring runaway Starlink satellite issue, it seems. It has reported that on March 29 the Starlink 34343 satellite "experienced an anomaly" and lost communications while cruising at 560 km above Earth. That likely means it has entered a zombie state where it is unable to receive commands or fire its ion thrusters for one reason or another and is slowly surrendering to atmospheric drag.

This is the second time in just over three months that a Starlink satellite has generated debris from an apparent malfunction while orbiting and delivering Internet connectivity to earthlings. The first was December 17, when satellite 35956 suffered propulsion tank venting, a 4 km orbital decay, and spat out a small number of trackable objects at 418 km altitude. SpaceX called that one an anomaly as well at the time and said it is investigating the root cause with no update since then.

Its "latest analysis shows the event poses no new risk to the Space Station, its crew, or to the upcoming launch of NASA's Artemis II mission," informs SpaceX, referring to NASA's newest Moon push. The "no risk to the ISS" line is technically correct, as the Station orbits at roughly 400 km, well below the Starlink 34343's current 560 km shell.

The crossing risk only materializes during the satellite's final descent, potentially many moons from now, giving NASA, SpaceX, and the US Space Force ample time to track and react if need be. SpaceX's passive deorbiting design also ensures the zombie satellite eventually clears itself up, burning completely upon reentry, rather than littering the graveyard orbit permanently.

Still, Starlink operates more than 9,500 satellites at the moment, which represent about 65% of all functional satellites in orbit, while its constellation keeps growing. The December incident reignited debate around transparency and international notification practices, and SpaceX hasn't disclosed the root cause for either event, despite the open nature of its mishap announcements. Hours after confirming the latest March anomaly, however, SpaceX launched 29 fresh Starlink satellites, unlike after the previous incident when it didn't launch anything for two weeks.