It’s been a little over a month since SpaceX launched 21 mini versions of its next-generation Starlink satellites, but it appears that one of those little guys just couldn’t cling to orbit any longer.
The Starlink satellite designated as 30062 reentered Earth’s atmosphere on Monday at 4:50 a.m. ET off the coast of California, according to a tweet from Jonathan McDowell, a Harvard-Smithsonian astrophysicist who keeps tabs on SpaceX’s internet satellites. The satellite very likely burned up during its reentry.
McDowell noted on Twitter that three of the Starlink V2 Minis were raising their altitudes in the attempt to reach their designated operational orbits, while one underwent a controlled deorbit maneuver. Other observers have also been monitoring the V2 Minis since their launch, including the unofficial SpaceX guide Starlink Insider, which noted the satellite’s deorbit trajectory before it reentered.
Source: https://gizmodo.com
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