SpaceX rocket accident leaves the company's Starlink satellites in the wrong orbit
Briefly

SpaceX rocket malfunctions, with upper stage engine issue causing 20 Starlink satellites to end up in a low orbit that is too close to Earth, resulting in their inevitable burning up in the atmosphere.
Flight controllers try to salvage the situation by contacting half the satellites and using ion thrusters to boost them to a higher orbit, but with an orbit only 84 miles above Earth, it's unlikely they can be saved.
FAA requires the problem to be fixed before Falcon rockets can fly again, potentially impacting future SpaceX crew flights, including a private spaceflight and an astronaut flight to the International Space Station.
Elon Musk emphasizes the need for a high flight rate to spot and rectify issues quickly, following previous SpaceX rocket failures in 2015 and 2016.
Read at www.npr.org
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