SpaceX loses control of 3 Starlink satellites weeks after launch raising fears rogue space junk could make rocket flights more dangerous
SPACEX has confirmed it's lost control of three satellites launched into Earth's orbit just weeks ago.
The Starlink probes were meant to form part of a huge network of satellites that will eventually beam high-speed internet to people on Earth.
In total, 60 satellites were successfully deployed into Earth's orbit on May 24 after a short flight aboard a SpaceX rocket.
A spokesperson has now admitted that mission control has lost contact with some of them.
"Three satellites initially communicated with the ground but are no longer in service," they said.
While the mission remains a success, the loss of some satellites stokes fears that space junk could one day trap humanity on Earth.
There are currently more than 30,000 pieces of space debris longer than 10 centimetres orbiting Earth. Smaller pieces below 1cm number in the hundreds of millions.
Ahead of May's SpaceX launch, experts warned that adding to this debris could block rockets from leaving Earth, an effect known as "Kessler syndrome".
"The worst case is: You launch all your satellites, you go bankrupt, and they all stay there," European Space Agency scientist Dr Stijn Lemmens told .
"Then you have thousands of new satellites without a plan of getting them out of there. And you would have a Kessler-type of syndrome."
It could take thousands of years for any SpaceX satellites left in our orbit to descend to Earth and burn up in the atmosphere.
According to SpaceX, its latest losses are unlike to form long-term space junk.
The spokesperson said the lost probes will gradually descend before burning up in Earth's atmosphere.
"Due to their design and low orbital position, all deorbiting satellites will disintegrate once they enter Earth’s atmosphere," they said.
"This is in support of SpaceX’s commitment to a clean space environment."
SpaceX boss Elon Musk has said before that it's unlikely all of the Starlink will work.
"It’s possible that some of these satellites may not work, and in fact [there’s a] small possibility that all of the satellites will not work," he said during a May 15 call with reporters.
"But these are a great design and we’ve done everything we can to maximise probability of success."
SpaceX says at least 12 more such launches of 60+ satellites will be needed for "moderate" internet coverage.
Musk has previously said he plans to send up nearly 12,000 satellites by the mid-2020s.
If everything goes to plan for SpaceX then internet users across the world could have 40 times faster internet speeds no matter where they live.
How much this service will cost has not yet been revealed but Musk intends to keep prices low.
One MIT expert warned that mega-constellations like Starlink will results in 67,000 potential collisions per year, each threatening to litter Earth's orbit with junk.
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