Photo: from SpaceX livestream
Third Stage-2 Problem In The Last Six Months
SpaceX seems to have experienced an issue with the second stage of the Falcon 9 used for the recent Starlink 11-4 launch. After lifting off on February 1st with no problems, Falcon 9 delivered its payload of Starlink satellites into their intended orbit after a brief circularization burn of the second stage, as planned. What apparently has not gone to plan is the de-orbit burn of the second stage, as it is still in orbit five days after the active part of the mission was completed.
The company has not commented on the matter.
Unusual For A SpaceX Second Stage To Remain In Orbit This Long
According to satellite tracking data from CelesTrak, the Falcon 9 second stage from the Starlink 11-4 mission is still in low-Earth orbit in a 283 km by 270 km orbit. Normally, the second stage from Starlink missions performs a deorbit burn after satellite deployment but in this case, it seems that this did not happen, and the second stage is still in orbit. That is unusual.
Here is the data from CelesTrak showing the second stage, its NORAD catalog number and its orbital parameters:
The Starlink 11-4 second stage is only one of two Falcon 9 S2’s still in orbit at this time:
It is possible that the company is conducting testing on that stage, but, again, SpaceX has made no comment on the matter.
What If The Second Stage Has Somehow Failed?
First of all, in its current orbit, it poses no danger to anyone on the ground anytime soon. A 281 km by 268 km orbit (175 by 168 miles) is in the Low-Earth Orbit region, and is well-above almost all of the atmosphere. It will be some time before atmospheric drag slows the second stage sufficiently to cause re-entry.
If the stage is uncontrolled — meaning that it is unable to respond to commands sent by controllers. — then it is a piece of space debris that will eventually return to Earth in an uncontrolled fashion. It is highly likely that will be over open water, since 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans and other bodies of water. That, however, would not be a certainty and would certainly be something to keep an eye on.
No FAA Investigation
Talk of Titusville reached out to the FAA and asked if a mishap report would be required for this apparent anomaly.
Their reply was
“All flight events occurred within the scope of SpaceX’s licensed activities. Please Contact SpaceX for additional information.”
