Latest Developments
SpaceX’s Starship Flight 13 headlines today’s activity, marking what may be the final suborbital test flight as the vehicle carries the first Starlink V3 satellites to orbit from Starbase, Texas. With 12,552 Starlinks launched to date and 10,839 currently operational among 10,855 in orbit, the V3 deployment test signals a major step toward next-generation constellation capacity. Meanwhile, a Falcon 9 delivered 21 Space Development Agency satellites from Vandenberg, and a separate booster notched SpaceX’s 600th flight-proven launch. New reporting also highlights the growing collision-avoidance burden facing the Starlink fleet as traffic in low Earth orbit intensifies.
Space Safety
The Starlink conjunction threat picture shows two HIGH-risk events concentrated in early July 2026, both involving STARLINK-4621 and the non-operational SL-18 R/B debris object with a minimum approach distance of 11 meters and maximum collision probability of 1.0 on Jul 9, 2026. Beyond these critical conjunctions, six MODERATE-risk events are distributed across the constellation with collision probabilities ranging from 0.12 to 0.13, primarily involving degraded or partially operational Starlink units. Separately, four Starlink satellites are predicted to reenter Earth’s atmosphere between Jul 17-19, 2026, with uncertainty windows spanning 540 to 1140 minutes, though none are flagged as high-interest objects.
| Risk | Starlink Sat | Other Object | Status | Min Range (km) | Rel Speed (km/s) | Max Prob | Time of Closest Approach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIGH | STARLINK-4621 | SL-18 R/B | Non-operational | 0.011 | 14.173 | 1.0 | Jul 9, 23:44 UTC |
| MODERATE | STARLINK-30464 | STARLINK-36196 | Operational | 0.048 | 10.027 | 0.1285 | Jul 4, 22:40 UTC |
| MODERATE | STARLINK-5106 | STARLINK-32760 | Operational | 0.049 | 10.192 | 0.1211 | Jul 11, 06:11 UTC |
| MODERATE | STARLINK-5400 | STARLINK-5781 | Partially Operational | 0.053 | 6.407 | 0.1203 | Jul 7, 15:32 UTC |
| LOW | STARLINK-36967 | LEMUR-2-AFFIE-WAUWIE | Operational | 0.038 | 7.332 | 0.0733 | Jul 8, 04:03 UTC |
| Satellite | NORAD ID | Predicted Decay | Window (min) | Inclination | Lat | Lon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STARLINK-2141 | 47731 | Jul 17, 09:19 UTC | 1080 | 53.1° | -2.6° | 34.6° |
| STARLINK-3894 | 52499 | Jul 17, 13:52 UTC | 540 | 53.2° | 20.2° | 29.3° |
| STARLINK-1788 | 46689 | Jul 18, 15:27 UTC | 1140 | 53.0° | -35.7° | 81.2° |
| STARLINK-1817 | 46715 | Jul 19, 09:16 UTC | 1080 | 53.0° | 50.2° | 264.8° |
Detailed Coverage
Starlink Satellites Now Dodging Debris Almost Weekly, Experts Warn
A new analysis reveals that individual Starlink satellites executed collision-avoidance maneuvers at a rate approaching once per week over the past year, totaling more than 355,000 maneuvers fleet-wide. Experts cited in the report warn that as SpaceX continues to add satellites and other operators expand their own constellations, the cumulative maneuvering burden could strain automated conjunction-avoidance systems and raise the risk of missed or conflicting maneuvers in increasingly congested orbital shells.
Read the full story: Space.com
Starship Flight 13 Set to Deploy First Starlink V3 Satellites
SpaceX is targeting a launch window opening at 5:45 p.m. CDT for Starship Flight 13, a mission that could be the vehicle’s final suborbital test before shifting to orbital operations. The flight will deploy the first batch of Starlink V3 satellites and trial a series of upgrades aimed at pushing Starship-Super Heavy closer to full reusability, following the debut of Block 3 hardware roughly two months ago with Booster 19.
Read the full story: NASASpaceFlight
SpaceX Launches 21 SDA Satellites in Third Tranche 1 Batch
A Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base carrying 21 satellites for the Space Development Agency’s Tranche 1 Transporter Layer E mission. This marks the third operational batch supporting the Pentagon’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, continuing SpaceX’s expanding role as a primary launch provider for the Department of Defense’s proliferated satellite network.
Read the full story: Spaceflight Now
Flight-Proven Falcon 9 Booster Hits 600 Launches
SpaceX reached a new reusability milestone this week when a flight-proven Falcon 9 booster completed its 600th launch, part of a pair of Starlink missions flown eight hours apart from opposite U.S. coasts. The back-to-back cadence, involving boosters landing on droneships off both Florida and California, underscores how deeply reused hardware is now embedded in SpaceX’s routine Starlink deployment operations.
Read the full story: Space.com
Starlink Unveils Smaller, More Efficient V5 Terminal
SpaceX has begun rolling out its next-generation Starlink V5 residential kit in select areas, featuring a notably smaller form factor and improved power efficiency compared to the outgoing V4 dish. The company says V5 is not designed for in-motion use, with a revamped Starlink Mini planned separately to serve mobile use cases, as SpaceX ramps production to meet growing global demand for the upgraded hardware.
Read the full story: The Verge
Elon Musk’s Texas Ranch to Display His Life’s Work
Elon Musk is developing a product gallery at his Texas ranch intended to showcase decades of innovation spanning Tesla, SpaceX, and his broader portfolio of ventures. The exhibit is expected to trace the technological throughline from his earliest projects to current Starship and Starlink hardware, offering a curated look at the engineering milestones that have shaped his companies.
Read the full story: Teslarati
Constellation Status
There have been no changes to the Starlink constellation since the last check. The constellation currently consists of 12,552 total launched satellites, with 10,855 remaining in orbit, 10,839 actively working, and 1,697 that have decayed.
- Total Launched: 12552
- Total On Orbit: 10855
- Total Working: 10839
Track Starlink satellites in real-time: Track Starlink
