CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX’s newest fleet of satellites is tumbling out of orbit after being struck by a solar storm.
Up to 40 of the 49 small satellites launched last week have reentered the atmosphere and burned up due to a solar storm.
Recommended Videos
Geomagnetic storms originate from the sun when it sends a blast of charged electron particles in the solar wind. When these plasma gasses interact in Earth’s magnetosphere it can affect satellites in low orbits like SpaceX’s Starlink.
Starlink satellites were putt into a type of hibernation mode to minimize drag. Satellites in low earth orbits constantly feeling the tug of Earth’s gravity. But the atmospheric pull was too great, and the satellites failed to awaken and climb to a higher, more stable orbit, according to the company.
The satellites hit by the solar storm were in a temporary position. SpaceX deliberately launches them into this unusually low orbit so that any duds can quickly reenter the atmosphere and pose no threat to other spacecraft.
SpaceX still has close to 2,000 Starlink satellites orbiting Earth and providing internet service to remote corners of the world. They circle the globe more than 340 miles up (550 kilometers).
There was never any danger from these newly falling satellites. Each satellite weighs less than 575 pounds and their small size would burn up completely in the planets atmosphere before ever reaching Earth’s surface.
Since launching the first Starlink satellites in 2019, Elon Musk envisions a constellation of thousands more satellites to increase internet service. SpaceX is trying to help restore internet service to Tonga through this network following the devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami.
London-based OneWeb has its own internet satellites up there. And Amazon plans to start launching its satellites later this year.
Astronomers are distressed that these mega constellations will ruin nighttime observations from Earth. The International Astronomical Union is forming a new center for the protection of dark skies.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.