Did Starlink launch fail? The company did a thorough review of its satellite failure rates, and came up with a rough assessment of the network’s future performance. Unfortunately, not all failed satellites were destroyed during the orbital raise. In addition, some of them showed anomalous behavior prior to launch. So, is the Starlink constellation a success? We can only speculate, but it would certainly be a welcome addition to the sky.
Although SpaceX launched and successfully recovered up to four hundred and fifty satellites last week, it did experience some trouble in the process. The failures were not caused by a single satellite, but rather a number of issues. A spacecraft that malfunctioned can be a potential hazard not only to astronauts, but also to other satellites. According to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the failure rate of Starlink was around 3%, which is far lower than the expected percentage.
The first two launches of the Falcon 9 rockets failed. The first one failed in March 2020, while the second failed in March 2019. The causes were attributed to engine-cleaning fluid, sensor interference, and inaccurate wind data. In 2019, SpaceX launched 5% of its initial batch of Starlink satellites, but these satellites did not reach orbit. This is why the company had to leave them to fall back to Earth and vaporize.
A third failed in March 2020. The failure was due to engine-cleaning fluid. Sensors interfered with the signal from the satellite, which resulted in the ejection. In March, the rocket suffered another failure, which was blamed on incorrect wind data. In April, SpaceX reported that 5% of the first batch of Starlink satellites failed. As a result, a large part of its constellation vaporized in the process.
Although the first Starlink launch failed, the second was a success. Both Starlink satellites were launched on schedule. The second failed because of a sensor interference. The third failed because of an incorrect wind data. In March, the Falcon 9’s first launch was a complete failure. Despite these problems, the new rocket was a success. The fourth one failed after that was a total of three.
Among the failed launch, the second one in March 2020 was canceled. The reason was a technical issue with the engine-cleaning fluid and incorrect wind data. In addition, the first batch of the first set of satellites were deemed a failure by the launch manager. In fact, 5% of them vaporized in the process. This was a very bad day for Starlink, which is still in progress.
As of late, 5% of the first Starlink satellites failed. The second batch was launched on schedule. The March mission failed by a different reason. The SN15 was destroyed before the end of the October launch. The SN15 also crashed. Nevertheless, the entire mission was a success. However, the SN15 had failed on the third, a Falcon 9 in January and the SN15 were both successful.
“Starlink has not been a complete failure.” In September, the first batch of 895 failed. The March launch also had a 5% apparent failure rate. After the first round, there will be more than doubled that. And the reanalysis of the data is underway. The initial failed satellites are equipped with krypton ion thrusters to maneuver in orbit. The satellites will be able to raise the orbit, but they will most likely fall back to Earth and vaporize.
The first batch of Starlink satellites was launched with great fanfare in October, but a few of them failed, too. The SN15 satellite, SN16, and SN17 failed due to heat damage. While the failure rate of the SN15 was about 5%, it was still high enough to affect the performance of the satellites. But in the future, the SN15 and the SN17 will be re-launched and re-established with more success.
Even though SpaceX has been careful to avoid deorbiting and launching problematic satellites, Starlink has failed several times. But the failure of the latest Falcon 9 launch has been attributed to the fact that the company was unable to apply corrective thrust after the first launch. The second failed, which led to the first test of the Falcon 9 booster’s reusability. With more than nine percent of the first satellites in orbit, Starlink is a commercial failure.