ANALYSIS OF THE RE–ENTRY PHASE OF STARLINK–1353 SATELLITE

Abstract

Eighty-three percent of all operational satellites are deployed in LEO, where Starlink is the largest mega-constellation with 5,233 satellites in working phase (data available for June 2024) (Planet4589, 2023). To date, SpaceX has launched the first 6,505 Starlink satellites out of 11,908 units planned (with a possible supplement of 22,488 units). One of the failed satellites was the Starlink–1353 (2020–025G) unit, for which the controlled decay above Hokkaido Island, on February 21, 2023, was in the field-of-view of one telescope from Kitasubaru Astronomical Observatory. Luckily, in that moment the telescope was performing observations on the Orion Nebula region, in a live streaming session (Kitasubaru, 2024). The major break-up was captured by the video camera of the telescope and based on the frame–by–frame image analysis, W identified 15 fragments after the atmospheric re–entry. According to our analysis based on Debris Assessment Software (DAS) (NASA), the major breakup occurred at 64.4 km above the sea level and some fragments were spread over an area of 15.13 m2. The paper presents hypothesis about the composition of the fragments that crossed the sky above Japan and if these can reach the sea level. In order to study the dynamical behaviour of Starlink–1353, before the moment of planned re–entry maneuvers, the observation recorded by Berthelot Observatory (IAU Code L54) were used. Orbital evolution of the satellite is presented using numerical integration for the available Two Line Elements (TLE) values. Using the last TLE, published five hours before re–entry, an estimated time 10:46 UTC, February 21, 2023 was computed.