An Anomaly Occurred, Starlink Satellite Was Destroyed and Spread Dozens of Debris in Earth's Orbit

JAKARTA - One of SpaceX's Starlink satellites was reportedly partially destroyed and produced a number of debris in low Earth orbit (LEO). This is the second incident that has occurred in three months.

Previously, Starlink 35956 which was launched on November 23, 2025 also experienced a failure of function. This caused an anomaly that triggered the disposal of the propellant tank, which triggered the spread of debris within a month after being launched.

For the latest satellite that also spread debris, the satellite was identified as Starlink-34343. This satellite is known to have lost communication after experiencing a mysterious anomaly on March 29, 2029.

When the function problem occurred, the spacecraft launched last year was at an altitude of 560 kilometers. Based on the findings of LeoLabs, a space tracking company, there are dozens of objects now orbiting the location of the satellite.

However, LeoLabs warned of the possibility of undetected debris. Starlink-34343 potentially has more small debris that has not been or even detected by radar.

SpaceX has also given an official statement regarding the discovery of Starlink debris. They confirmed that the debris did not threaten the International Space Station (ISS) or NASA's Artemis II mission.

This is in line with the LeoLabs report. According to the space object tracking company, "fragments from this anomaly will likely exit orbit in a few weeks (due to low altitude."

This incident has a pattern similar to the Starlink incident in December 2026. Experts suspect a problem with the internal energy source, such as the battery or the tank pressure system, and not due to an external impact.

Despite the accident, SpaceX did not stop the schedule for the next Starlink satellite launch. Just hours after the anomaly was detected, another Falcon 9 rocket launched carrying dozens of new satellites into orbit.

SpaceX's internal team is now investigating the technical causes of this repeated failure. Once the cause is found, SpaceX will implement corrective measures to maintain the safety of its constellation.