Vantor (WorldView-3) collected a 12-cm-resolution image of Starlink 35956 about one day after the anomaly showing the satellite largely intact from a range of 241 km.
LeoLabs detected tens to hundreds of debris objects associated with Starlink 35956 following the December 17–18, 2025 anomaly and reported that the objects spread along the orbital track.
Analyses indicated the initial drop in orbital altitude of Starlink 35956 was likely caused by an internal energetic source rather than a collision with another object, according to LeoLabs orbital diagnostics captured after the December 17, 2025 event.
Observations and tracking indicated fragments from the Starlink 35956 anomaly were at low altitude and would likely de-orbit within a few weeks of the December 17–18, 2025 event.
As of January 17, 2026 at about 07:13 UTC, the US Space Force TIP indicated Starlink 35956 had reentered over northern Queensland and Papua New Guinea.