SpaceX has, of course, been ferrying quite a bit of stuff into space lately. [See "SpaceX and Blue Origin Face Off," in this issue.] But last February, SpaceX launched two small satellites of its own. They were for an initial test of gear intended for use in a globe-spanning broadband data network, called Starlink, made up of thousands of small satellites. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk nicknamed the two test satellites Tintin A and Tintin B, after the beloved Belgian cartoon character known for his adventures. And just as their fictional namesake often did, the satellites ran into unexpected troubles.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Jeff Foust (2018) studied this question.