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Elon Musk’s Space Junk Blazes Across Victorian Skies
A Starlink satellite reentered due to atmospheric drag, breaking into fiery fragments visible across Melbourne, part of a rising trend linked to the surge in satellite launches, experts said.
- On Tuesday morning about 5.27am, a satellite believed to be owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX reentered over Victoria, blazing across the sky and filmed from suburbs including Hastings and Mortlake.
- Rising launch cadence and expiring satellite lifespans have driven more atmospheric reentries, as Brown from Monash University says, `Because he's been launching many thousands of these satellites each year, these satellites are starting to come down almost daily across the globe.`
- Monash University astronomers identified the debris as Starlink-5103, which left a flaming orange trail flecked with green and broke into multiple fragments visible for nearly 30 seconds.
- Calls for stricter regulation followed concerns about property damage and orbital congestion, as scientists and academics warn growing satellite numbers could render low Earth orbit unusable without cleanup.
- With 9357 Starlink satellites in orbit, experts say orbital density is significant, and controlled reentries usually target the Pacific but this descent appeared unplanned, leaving the final landing site unclear.
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Bright light seen across Victorian skies believed to be from Elon Musk's satellite
Victorian residents have been treated to a rare sight after space junk, believed to be from one of Elon Musk's satellites, soared back into the earth's atmosphere.The astronomical display initially looked like a meteor illuminating the sky about 5.27am AEDT – but Melbourne astronomers quickly identified it as a piece of space junk.Observational Astronomer Associate Professor Michael Brown said the debris was likely a piece of Musk's Starlink-51…
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Total News Sources8
Leaning Left3Leaning Right2Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 17%
R 33%
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