Solar storm knocks out 40 of SpaceX’s 49 satellites, posing problems for Elon Musk.
Trouble in Paradise?
After being hit by a solar storm, SpaceX’s newest fleet of satellites is drifting out of orbit.
According to a company update posted online Tuesday night, up to 40 of the 49 tiny satellites launched last week have either re-entered the atmosphere and burnt up or are on the approach of doing so.
Last Friday’s geomagnetic storm made the atmosphere thicker, increasing the drag on the Starlink satellites and dooming them.
Ground controllers attempted to save the small, flat-panel satellites by putting them into a state of sleep and flying them in such a manner that they would generate the least amount of drag. But, according to the company, the satellites could not awaken and rise to a higher, more stable orbit due to the substantial air drag.
Nearly 2,000 Starlink satellites are still circling Earth, delivering internet connectivity to far-flung parts of the globe. They circumnavigate the Earth at a height of around 550 kilometers.
According to the company, these recently launched satellites pose no threat in space or on the ground.
Elon Musk has envisioned a network of thousands of satellites to boost internet access after launching the first Starlink satellites in 2019. Following the horrific volcano eruption and tsunami, SpaceX is attempting to restore internet access to Tonga using this network.
Astronomers are concerned that these massive constellations will interfere with Earth’s nighttime observations. So the International Astronomical Union establishes a new facility to safeguard the night sky.
