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Starlink satellite goes dark at 560 km above Earth, no threat to NASA's Artemis II, says SpaceX
The reassurance from SpaceX comes just days before the planned April 1 launch of Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed mission to the Moon in decades.
SpaceX’s Starlink network has lost contact with one of its satellites after an on-orbit anomaly, but the company says the incident does not pose any risk to ongoing or upcoming space missions.
The issue was detected on Sunday at an altitude of about 560 km above Earth, prompting monitoring efforts from the company and US space authorities.
In an update shared Monday, Starlink said, "Latest analysis showed that the event poses no new risk to the International Space Station, its crew, or to the launch of NASA's Artemis II mission."
The reassurance comes just days before the planned April 1 launch of Artemis II – NASA’s first crewed mission to the Moon in decades, making the timing of the anomaly particularly sensitive.
The company also confirmed that the situation does not threaten the International Space Station or its astronauts.
Monitoring satellite and debris
Starlink said it is continuing to track the affected spacecraft, identified as satellite 34343, along with any potential debris.
The company added it will coordinate closely with the US Space Force and NASA as part of ongoing monitoring efforts.
At the same time, Starlink noted it is working with SpaceX to actively "determine root cause and will rapidly implement any necessary corrective actions."
Other missions unaffected
The anomaly has not disrupted other launches either. Starlink said there is no risk to the Falcon 9 Transporter-16 rideshare mission, which lifted off Monday morning, reported Reuters.
That mission was designed to deploy payloads at varying altitudes around the Starlink constellation.
The incident comes at a crucial time for SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, as the company prepares for a potential stock market debut that could value it at up to $1.75 trillion, potentially the largest IPO ever, the Reuters report added.
