SpaceX may have to deorbit some of its new Starlink V2 Mini satellites

 

SpaceX - Falcon 9 / Starlink Mission patch.

April 22, 2023

The first batch of Elon Musk's upgraded Starlink internet satellites experienced issues shortly after launching last month. "We're experiencing some issues," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted.

Image above: Starlink V2 Mini satellites. Image Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX's newly-launched Starlink V2 Mini satellites appear to be experiencing issues, Elon Musk explained on Twitter this week. The SpaceX CEO explained that some satellites would likely have to be deorbited to burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

Last month, SpaceX launched 21 of the new satellites (Starlink V2 Mini satellites) aboard a Falcon 9 rocket as part of a test campaign ahead of the launch of its next-generation Starlink 2.0 satellites.

Image above: HEO Robotics captured this view of a Starlink V2 Mini satellite in orbit shortly after it launched. Image Credit: HEO Robotics.

SpaceX's new Starlink V2 Mini satellites

Despite the name, SpaceX's Starlink V2 Mini satellites are larger than the company's standard Starlink satellites, which it has been lifting to space in large batches since 2019. SpaceX's full-size Starlink V2 satellites will weigh 1.25 tons (1,130 kilograms) and be able to send service directly to cellphones, according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

SpaceX on Twitter

However, the private space firm may be facing a slight obstacle on the road to the commercial launch of its V2 satellites. On Wednesday, Musk wrote "lot of new technology in Starlink V2, so we’re experiencing some issues, as expected." He also explained that some satellites "will be deorbited, others will be tested thoroughly."

Musk wrote his tweet in response to commentary from experts and satellite trackers who had noticed that some of the V2 Minis were lowering their altitudes while others were in a more eccentric orbit.

Jonathan McDowell and Elon Musk on Twitter

"I think they are debugging some issue with the new sats, and we’ll see in a few weeks if they resume orbit raising,” Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, wrote on Twitter.

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.

The satellite very likely burned up during its reentry.

Starlink Insider on Twitter

Last month, Starlink Insider was among the first to notice that the recently launched batch of satellites were slowly falling instead of rising. In response to speculation regarding the condition of the V2 Minis, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to clarify that the satellites were “experiencing some issues” and that some of them will be deorbited while others would still be tested. The recently deorbited V2 Mini could be the first of more to come, but we currently don’t know for certain.

SpaceX launched 21 next generation Starlink satellites on board a Falcon 9 rocket on March 17. The company calls them V2 Minis, as the units are miniaturized versions of the company’s full-sized, next generation Starlinks. The V2 Minis are meant to help SpaceX increase the capacity of its internet megaconstellation, filling the gap for the increasing demand of Starlink until the company is able to launch batches of its full-sized next-generation satellites.

SpaceX Starlink V2 Deployment

However, in order to do that, SpaceX needs to see its heavy-lift Starship rocket take to the skies. But after the first test launch on April 20, given the result (unplanned rapid disassembly, according to Elon Musk), that is to say that the Starship Super Heavy is not yet ready and the launch-pad has been badly damaged (see related articles in links below), the project to send the second generation of Starlink satellites with the Starship is postponed to a later date.

How does Starlink Satellite Internet Work?

The company’s currently operational Falcon 9 rocket is not designed to carry the next-generation satellites, prompting SpaceX to create the diminutive versions. SpaceX was reportedly planning on launching a second batch of V2 Minis last month, but it’s unclear where the company now stands on its miniature satellites.

Related articles:

SpaceX Super Heavy booster had five engines out and powerful launch damaged the pad
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/04/spacex-super-heavy-booster-had-five.html

SpaceX - Starship Super Heavy first launch, explodes in 'rapid unscheduled disassembly'
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/04/spacex-starship-super-heavy-first.html

SpaceX Starlink 76 launch
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/03/spacex-starlink-76-launch.html

Related links:

SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/

Starlink: https://www.starlink.com/

SpaceX Starship: https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/starship/

Images (mentioned), Videos, Text, Credits: SpaceX/Interesting Engineering/Gizmodo/Branch Education/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

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