Latest Developments
SpaceX hit a rare rough patch this week, suffering back-to-back last-second launch aborts on two different vehicles within days of each other. A Falcon 9 carrying 24 Starlink satellites aborted at Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 20, just days after Starship’s Flight 13 test aborted at Starbase on July 16. With the constellation now standing at 12,552 satellites launched and 10,828 operational of 10,844 in orbit, SpaceX continues pushing forward on multiple fronts even as engineers work through the abort anomalies and eye a fresh Starship attempt for July 23.
Space Safety
The Starlink conjunction threat environment presents elevated risk in early July 2026, with a critical HIGH risk event involving STARLINK-4621 and the defunct SL-18 R/B rocket body scheduled for Jul 9, 23:44 UTC - characterized by a minimum range of 11 meters and collision probability of 1.0. Beyond this critical event, six MODERATE risk conjunctions are tracked between operational and partially operational Starlink assets through mid-July, while the current reentry prediction database identifies five Starlink satellites in active decay phases, with STARLINK-1679 predicted to reenter within a 27-minute window on Jul 20, 23:32 UTC.
| 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-1679 | 46557 | Jul 20, 23:32 UTC | 27 | 53.0° | -50.5° | 181.4° |
| STARLINK-2128 | 47404 | Jul 21, 06:55 UTC | 120 | 53.0° | -17.7° | 10.3° |
| STARLINK-1622 | 46128 | Jul 21, 21:09 UTC | 420 | 53.0° | -32.7° | 221.7° |
| STARLINK-2113 | 47392 | Jul 21, 23:20 UTC | 1080 | 53.0° | 40.5° | 177.1° |
| STARLINK-2141 | 47731 | Jul 23, 22:54 UTC | 840 | 53.1° | -51.6° | 256.4° |
Detailed Coverage
Falcon 9 aborts Starlink launch in rare pad-level failure
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket aborted its launch attempt at the last second on the morning of July 20, scrubbing the Starlink 17-39 mission from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg. The mission, SpaceX’s 85th Falcon 9 flight of the year, was set to loft 24 Starlink satellites before onboard systems triggered the abort just ahead of liftoff. Last-second aborts remain uncommon for the workhorse Falcon 9 fleet, and the incident is drawing scrutiny given it followed Starship’s own abort by only four days.
Read the full story: Space.com
Starship Flight 13 slips again after July 16 abort
SpaceX is now targeting Thursday, July 23 for the thirteenth integrated Starship flight test after the vehicle’s computer called an abort in the closing seconds of the July 16 attempt. The 90-minute launch window at Starbase opens at 5:45 p.m. CT, though the date has already shifted once since the original reschedule. Flight 13 is considered a pivotal test in Starship’s development campaign, and engineers are working through data from the aborted attempt before clearing the next try.
Read the full story: Teslarati
Musk fires back at $52 billion NVIDIA GPU rumor
Elon Musk publicly debunked reports claiming SpaceX had ordered roughly $52 billion worth of NVIDIA GPUs through Foxconn. Taiwanese media had cited unnamed industry sources alleging SpaceX planned to acquire about 13,000 AI server racks - equivalent to nearly 1 million GB300 GPUs - at an estimated $4 million per rack. Musk dismissed the figures as fabricated within hours of the report circulating.
Read the full story: Teslarati
Musk warns SpaceX short sellers ahead of $SPCX volatility
Elon Musk issued a pointed warning on X to investors betting against SpaceX, stating that firms holding significant short positions in the company over time face “very low” odds of survival. The comment lands amid post-IPO price swings for SpaceX shares, now trading under the ticker $SPCX, as markets continue to digest the company’s public listing and valuation.
Read the full story: Teslarati
Launch manifest packed with Falcon 9, Starship, and Chinese rockets
Following last week’s aborted Starship Flight 13 attempt, SpaceX is preparing a new try while continuing its steady Falcon 9 cadence alongside a busy week of Chinese orbital launches. The lineup underscores how SpaceX’s dual-track strategy - routine Starlink deployment via Falcon 9 alongside high-risk Starship development flights - continues even through anomaly investigations.
Read the full story: NASASpaceFlight.com
Rival heavy-lift programs close the gap on Starship
While Starship’s test campaign dominates headlines, competitors are quietly advancing their own next-generation rockets. Relativity Space’s Terran R, Rocket Lab’s Neutron, and PLD Space’s Miura 5 are all making progress toward flight readiness, signaling growing competition in the medium- and heavy-lift launch market that SpaceX has long dominated with Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy.
Read the full story: NASASpaceFlight.com
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 10,844 remaining in orbit, 10,828 of which are operational, and 1,708 that have decayed from orbit.
- Total Launched: 12552
- Total On Orbit: 10844
- Total Working: 10828
Track Starlink satellites in real-time: Track Starlink
Wondering about the totals? See how many Starlink satellites are in orbit, updated daily.
