alt.hn

3/30/2026 at 8:15:41 PM

A second Starlink satellite exploded in orbit

 https://twitter.com/LeoLabs_Space/status/2038680177408880719

by wmf

3/31/2026 at 12:38:01 AM

Filing “fragment creation event” alongside “rapid unintended disassembly”.

by bombcar

3/31/2026 at 1:31:54 AM

A “fragment creation event” that was “likely caused by an internal energetic source”.

by dragonwriter

3/31/2026 at 10:19:48 AM

And "surrounded by too much hot air."

by user____name

3/30/2026 at 8:37:29 PM

Fortunately,

> Due to the low altitude of the event, fragments from this anomaly will likely de-orbit within a few weeks.

by porphyra

3/30/2026 at 10:25:08 PM

[dead]

by aaron695

3/31/2026 at 1:25:54 AM

Second? When was the first?

Is this an instance of weaponization of the LEO? No statement from SpaceX?

by manoDev

3/31/2026 at 1:30:44 AM

> When was the first?

17 December 2025, per the thread.

by dragonwriter

3/30/2026 at 8:35:45 PM

Do they have pressurized gas/liquid onboard that could explode or is this most likely a collision?

by heyitsmedotjayb

3/30/2026 at 9:21:22 PM

They have argon gas for the ion thrusters that adjust the orbits.

by wmf

3/30/2026 at 8:47:08 PM

If it were a collision, it would be far more noteworthy and likely in the title

by verdverm

3/31/2026 at 1:19:29 PM

why would it be more noteworthy?

by heyitsmedotjayb

3/31/2026 at 5:53:51 PM

It would involve a failure in coordination, observation, or management of orbits. These things make adjustments more often than people realize (aiui)

by verdverm

3/30/2026 at 11:39:16 PM

Tubes must have gotten clogged

by cozzyd

3/30/2026 at 10:32:20 PM

if, just saying, someone had a huge fucking laser and wanted something to plink away at, and happened to look up at night, most anywhere on the planet, ran the numbers and figured the odds, and well elo's stuff does blow up regularly

by metalman

3/30/2026 at 11:27:17 PM

Really? How many Starlink satellites have blown up? How many F9 second stages?

by NetMageSCW

3/31/2026 at 12:38:37 AM

There are a lot of better ways to present your point; for example:

How many batteries supplied with Elon Musk’s companies’ products have encountered an unplanned combustion event after light or no damage?

Does SpaceX use in-house or third-party batteries in their satellites?

Is their explosion rate of 2(?) per N, where N is the number of unexploded SpaceX satellites, plausibly still within the statistical ranges defined by non-SpaceX satellites given the data available to us?

Did the satellite deflect before it exploded or are the shard trajectories consistent with a zero-impact scenario?

etc.

by altairprime

3/31/2026 at 7:09:31 AM

hate to be pedantic, but for 2 out of N, n would have to be the sum of all satellites including the exploded ones

by vrighter

3/31/2026 at 11:33:42 AM

You’re probably right but the question isn’t mine in the first place; look up some data and you’re set to discuss with OP. I was constructing communication examples, not mathematically-correct ones. Guess I did well enough at that!

by altairprime