one of them And so it was observed April 3 over the western United States, where it burned up in the atmosphere. It was part of a group of 21 satellites It was launched on February 27th. There was no unknown number. In the latest newsmanaged to reach the planned orbit, according to astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, who follows in the footsteps of Launch this constellation of satellites. And one of the 21 – seen on April 3 – was sent on a downward trajectory to disintegrate in the atmosphere.
at least 14 others She will soon suffer the same fate, although some are among the 3912s previously placed in orbit. Because SpaceX’s Starlink project – which aims to provide internet coverage to the four corners of the globe – has already launched an unprecedented number of satellites to date, and the total list of satellites licensed by US authorities so far reaches 7,500.
However, an abnormally large number have already reached Earth: out of 3912, 305 were burned up in the atmosphere. In February 2022, at least 40 failed to enter orbit due to solar flare.
The group of 21 launched in February make up the first group of the second generation of Starlink satellites, called the V2Mini: Larger (Its weight is estimated at 800 kilograms versus 300) and is supposed to be more powerful than its predecessors, but the real representatives of this second generation, which is scheduled for release later this year or in 2024, will be larger (2000 kilograms).
In an emotional tweet on March 22, Elon Musk admitted that the new group was “having certain problems” that could force many of them to “deorbit,” that is, take them out of orbit.
Those who have worried for years about space pollution, and the growing number of orbital vehicles at risk of collision, have cause for concern when they note the evolution of the Starlink project: With more than 3,600 satellites still out there, it represents, on its own, More than half Of all the active satellites orbiting us. Their large numbers also began to influence astronomy. Each of them is a large piece of metal that reflects the sun’s rays.
