Fireworks in space? Starlink satellite burned during reentry over US
Stargazers in the Midwest and Southwest saw a Starlink satellite burn in the sky this weekend as it reentered the atmosphere. The American Meteor Association received 36 reports from people in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas who spotted the satellite, with some describing it as a “bright fireball.”
According to astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell on Xthe satellite has been identified as Starlink-4682, launched by SpaceX in August 2022.
Starlink describes its satellites as “completely demisable by design,” meaning each satellite is designed to safely burn up during reentry and effectively prevent the harmful spread of debris.
Viewers described the satellite as “slow-moving,” appearing to “split into three parts” or explode “into many, many pieces.” Many assumed the object was a bright meteor that broke up into several pieces and appeared as streaks of light in the night sky.
“With space sustainability in mind, SpaceX has initiated controlled orbits on 406 of the nearly 6,000 Starlink satellites launched to date,” SpaceX said in a press release. statement about sustainability from February 12, 2024.
Starlink uses more than 6,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, orbiting about 542 kilometers above Earth, while traditional satellites orbit about 35,000 kilometers above Earth. In the near future, Starlink plans to expand its number to 42,000 LEO satellites.
Since Starlink is responsible for 40% of all satellites put into orbit, it is also widely criticized for air pollution, including contamination of aluminum oxide nanoparticles from re-entry. According to Space.coma Starlink satellite reenters the atmosphere almost every day.
