SpaceX loses 40 satellites to geomagnetic storm


Impact of Geomagnetic Storm: Elon Musk-owned Starlink lost a dozen of satellites that were caught in a geomagnetic storm a day after the satellites were launched on February 3.

Key points:

  • According to Starlink, some 40 out of 49 satellites have been impacted causing them to fall from orbit before they could be commissioned.
  • Second stage of Falcon 9 launcher had deployed the satellites into their intended orbit, with a perigee of around 210 km above Earth.
  • Each of the satellite achieved controlled flight.
  • They had been due to join its Starlink satellite internet project.
  • These satellites were designed to burn up while re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere, in order to avoid creation of debris in space.

What are Geomagnetic Storm or flares?

  • Solar storms are magnetic plasma ejected at great speed from the solar surface.
  • Solar "storms" are caused by powerful explosions on the sun's surface, which spit out plasma and magnetic fields that can hit the Earth.
  • This usually occurs during the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots.
  • Sunspots are the dark regions on the surface of the Sun.
  • These dark regions are comparatively cooler than the surrounding photosphere.
  • These storms usually last for a few minutes or sometimes even hours.

Note: The solar storm that deorbited the satellites occurred on February 1 and 2, and its powerful trails were observed on February 3.

Effect on Earth:

  • Most of the Solar flares do not reach to the Earth.
  • But sometimes, but solar flares or storms, solar energetic particles (SEPs), high-speed solar winds, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that come close can impact space weather in near-Earth space and the upper atmosphere.

What are services hit by Solar storms?

  • Solar storms can hit operations of space-dependent services like global positioning systems (GPS), radio, and satellite communications.
  • Geomagnetic storms interfere with high-frequency radio communications and GPS navigation systems.
  • Aircraft flights, power grids, and space exploration programmes are also vulnerable.
  • CMEs (coronal mass ejections), with ejectiles loaded with matter travelling at millions of miles an hour, can potentially create disturbances in the magnetosphere, the protective shield surrounding the Earth.
  • Astronauts on spacewalks could face possible health risks from exposure to solar radiation outside the Earth’s protective atmosphere.

How scientists predict solar storms?

  • Solar physicists, scientists among others use computer models in order to predict solar storms and solar activities.
  • The recent phenomenon, February 1-2, that knocked out Starlink’s satellites were already predicted on January 29.
  • Current models are capable of predicting a storm’s time of arrival and its speed but the storm’s structure or orientation still cannot be predicted.
  • However, with increasing global dependence on satellites for almost every activity, a better space weather forecasts and more effective ways for protecting satellites are needed.


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