SpaceX was hit by a geomagnetic storm shortly following liftoff from a Starlink mission. The disruptions were so severe that the company lost 40 of the 49 satellites that had been launched in early February.
Shortly following launch, they were caught in what is known as a geomagnetic storm at the edge of the atmosphere. The so-called geomagnetic storm, or magnetic storm, refers to a reaction of the Earth’s magnetosphere to the activity of the Sun.
When the star throws a large amount of particles towards the Earth, in the form of a “solar wind”, its magnetosphere, which is generated by its magnetic field, agitates under the effect of this interaction. If the satellites have not yet been destroyed, they will be destroyed soon, but they do not pose any danger and no debris will fall to Earth, the American company assures.
Last week, SpaceX launched 49 satellites for its Starlink network. These satellites are used to provide Internet connections. Hundreds of such devices are already in orbit around the Earth.
The Starlink satellites first travel to an altitude of 210 kilometers above the Earth. Which is still relatively low. There, the Earth’s atmosphere slowly turns into the infinite emptiness of the universe. The goal is for the satellites to make the final journey themselves to the higher altitude where they will be used.
This is a conscious decision: if a satellite does not work properly, low-altitude friction ensures that it will perish quickly and will not end up spinning endlessly like a space junk. On Friday, the day following the launch, a “thunderstorm” of magnetic particles formed around the Earth. This storm was the result of an eruption of particles on the sun at the end of January. The Starlink satellites had to fly through this storm. The “atmospheric pressure” increased, preventing 40 of the 49 satellites from reaching a higher altitude.