Jonathan McDowell@planet4589·New orbit data for Spainsat NG-II showing it in a 409 x 62984 km x 26.8 deg orbit.
QuoteJonathan McDowell@planet4589·New orbit data for Spainsat NG-II showing it in a 409 x 62984 km x 26.8 deg orbit.
Lukas C. H.@GewoonLukas_During its career, B1076 launched:- 266 Starlink satellites- 40 OneWeb satellites- 6 geostationary communications satellites- 2 O3b mPOWER satellites- 2 WorldView Legion satellites- 1 Cargo Dragon (with 7 cubesats)equating to ~242.000kg of total payload mass.
Jenny Hautmann@JennyHPhotoSpaceX’s Falcon 9 first stage B1067 has successfully completed a record-breaking 31st mission.The fleet leader has launched a total of 8 people to space, 2 Cargo Dragon spacecraft, more than 600 Starlink satellites, and a variety of payloads, including Türksat 5B, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13G, O3b mPOWER-A, PSN SATRIA, Telkomsat Merah Putih 2, Galileo L13, and Koreasat-6A.Reporting for @SuperclusterHQ
rykllan@_rykllan#Falcon9 fairing halves of SPAINSAT NG II
QuoteJonathan McDowell@planet4589·New orbit data for Spainsat NG-II showing it in a 409 x 62984 km x 26.8 deg orbit.https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1981897056760254712
Quote from: catdlr on 10/25/2025 02:04 amQuoteJonathan McDowell@planet4589·New orbit data for Spainsat NG-II showing it in a 409 x 62984 km x 26.8 deg orbit.https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/198189705676025471266144 SPAINSAT NG II 2025-239A 1300.57 23.64 64980 1201
Indra Group, as the majority partner of Hisdesat, reports that the SpainSat NG II satellite, owned by Hisdesat and launched last October 23 from Cape Canaveral, has suffered the impact of a space particle during its journey to its final orbital position.The incident occurred at a distance of 50,000 kilometers from Earth.Hisdesat has implemented a contingency plan to ensure that the Ministry of Defense and other clients are not affected.Hisdesat remains committed to the strategic objectives of the SpainSat NG program and the provision of the planned services.The technical team is analyzing the available data to determine the extent of the damage. If necessary, SpainSat NG II will be replaced as soon as possible.
The Company hereby informs that Hisdesat Servicios Estratégicos, S.A. (“Hisdesat”), company in which Indra Group holds a majority stake, has activated a contingency plan to ensure the continuity of the services committed to the Ministry of Defence and its other clients, following the fortuitous impact of a space particle on the SpainSat NG II satellite (the “satellite”), which it owns, during the orbital transfer phase. Hisdesat confirms that its operational capabilities have not been affected and that it remains committed to the strategic objectives of the SpainSat NG II program and its ability to provide the services it has committed to.Once the technical teams complete their analysis of the incident, if it is confirmed that the damage affects critical areas of the satellite, its replacement will be initiated as soon as possible.
The altitude of the incident, well above the geostationary belt, suggests a collision with orbital debris is unlikely. The spacecraft may instead have been struck by a micrometeoroid. Another possibility is that the reference to a “space particle” reflects an interaction with charged particles associated with space weather; NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center reported minor to moderate activity in recent days.
Hit by orbital debris at 50,000 km? What an incredible stroke of bad luck. And this satellite ain't cheap.Edit: Some clarification in the SpaceNews article:QuoteThe altitude of the incident, well above the geostationary belt, suggests a collision with orbital debris is unlikely. The spacecraft may instead have been struck by a micrometeoroid. Another possibility is that the reference to a “space particle” reflects an interaction with charged particles associated with space weather; NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center reported minor to moderate activity in recent days.So they aren't being clear as to what it is, or they don't know, yet.
...Edit: Some clarification in the SpaceNews article:...
SpainSat NG 2 is one of two satellites launched last year by Hisdesat to provide secure communications for the Spanish Ministry of Defense and allied governments. SpainSat NG 1 launched in January 2025 on another Falcon 9 and is operating normally.
Hisdesat, together with the Ministry of Defence, has initiated the RFQ process for the SpainSat NG III satellite, which is set to replace SpainSat NG II, after verifying that the damage suffered by the latter due to the impact of a space particle will prevent it from completing the planned mission.Hisdesat has implemented this measure after analyzing the latest reports by the main contractor of the SpainSat NG II satellite. Although the space particle that collided with the satellite was estimated to be millimetric in size and weigh only a few grams, the high speed of the impact on a vital area of the satellite caused non-recoverable damage.The satellite is stable, complete and in a highly eccentric orbit, in such a way that it won’t interfere with any present or future space operations, and its loss won’t cause any economic harm, as it’s insured against this kind of damage.Until SpainSat NG III enters into operation, the services will be guaranteed through SpainSat NG I (from 29ºE) and SpainSat (from 30ºW).Hisdesat remains committed to the strategic goals of the SpainSat NG program and the provision of the planned services.
How on earth (or rather, in space) do you possibly protect your assets against millimeter-sized space particles?
Front, side, and back views of the Space Armor™ Lite tile (30cm x 30cm x 2cm), tested with a 3mm projectile traveling at 7.2 km/s, showing minimum deformation on the back side.
Hisdesat has announced that the SpainSat NG II military communications satellite, which was struck by a “space particle,” has suffered “non-recoverable damage.” As a result of this finding, the company has initiated an RFQ (request for quotation) for a replacement satellite, designated SpainSat NG III.
