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Is it common that a satellite explodes? Yes. Dozens of satellites have exploded. For example, the Russian Kosmos series has a history of battery leaks. https:/

• inglor_cz 2y ago
  Remembering the 1980s, Eastern Bloc consumer-grade batteries were bad enough to destroy appliances. Soviet batteries in particular; it was a known rule that if you can find a GDR or Czechoslovak-made battery for your radio etc., you just don't risk a "Sdelano v CCCP" one. If Soviet space engineering suffered from the same problem, which is likely (already Korolev fought a massive and angry battle against badly manufactured satellite parts), there is quite a lot of batteries aging dangerously up there.
  • kalleboo 2y ago
    Same for western batteries of the 80s-early 90s. In the retro Mac community the Maxell lithium batteries are referred to as “Maxell bombs” since they have a failure mode where spray acid all over the inside of the machine, not just leaking on the motherboard