Launching Rogue Satellites Into Space Was a ‘Mistake’

Updated September 7 at 7:36 p.m. ET

In January, Sara Spangelo tuned into a live-stream in California to witness a rocket launch thousands of miles away, on an island along the Indian coast overlooking the Bay of Bengal. A 144-foot-tall launch vehicle, owned and operated by India, sat on the launchpad. As a voice on the stream counted down, a small tangle of orange flames appeared at the rocket’s base and quickly swelled into an enormous fireball, pushing it skyward. The rocket disappeared into the clouds within seconds as it hurtled toward the edge of Earth’s atmosphere.

This was an exciting moment for Spangelo, the CEO of a young start-up called Swarm Technologies. Swarm had secured a spot on the Indian rocket for its product: a set of four small satellites nicknamed Spaces. The Spaces are prototypes for Swarm’s ambitious plan to provide internet access to areas without it. When the satellites successfully made it into orbit, Spangelo felt “super