Topline
At least 40 of the 49 Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX last week have been destroyed by a geomagnetic storm, the company announced on Tuesday, dealing an expensive blow to the Elon Musk-backed satellite internet service.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen in this time exposure from Cocoa Beach, Florida as it launches the … [+]
Key Facts
In an update published on its website, SpaceX said last week’s launch of the satellites was severely affected by the storm which caused “up to 50 percent higher drag” than earlier launches.
Despite the company’s best attempts to reorient the satellites to fly “edge-on (like a sheet of paper)” to help minimize drag, the company expects at least 40 of those satellites will burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere instead of reaching their orbit.
The company noted that the destroyed satellites pose “zero collision risk” with other satellites and are designed to fully burn up on atmospheric reentry, which means no debris or satellite parts will hit the ground.
Key Background
The affected satellites were launched last Thursday aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket and they were set to be deployed in an orbit around 210 kilometers above Earth. SpaceX has launched more than 2,000 Starlink satellites since 2018, and has plans to launch a total of at least 12,000 as part of a plan to offer high-speed satellite internet across the globe. However, scientists have expressed concerns about the low-orbit satellites, with a recent study reporting that they are causing streaks to appear on telescope images. Astronomers have warned that this could hinder them from identifying dangerous asteroids. Every week, Starlink satellites are also involved in 1,600 or 50% of all close encounters between spacecraft in orbit, the Astronautics Research Group at the University of Southampton reported last year.
Tangent
Earlier this week, officials in Tonga announced that SpaceX’s Starlink is working with them to help restore internet service on the volcano hit island. This comes after SpaceX CEO and billionaire Elon Musk offered to help the island’s whose internet access was severed after a volcano and subsequent tsunami damaged the single undersea cable that connects the island nation with the rest of the world.
Further Reading
Geomagnetic Storm And Recently Deployed Starlink Satellites (SpaceX)
A geomagnetic storm may have effectively destroyed 40 SpaceX Starlink satellites (The Verge)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/02/09/at-least-40-starlink-satellites-launched-by-spacex-last-week-have-been-destroyed-by-geomagnetic-storm/