SpaceX launches batch of Starlink satellites with Falcon 9
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Footage has appeared out of Puerto Rico showing stricken satellites belonging to Elon Musk’s SpaceX company burning up in Earth’s atmosphere after being knocked out by a geomagnetic storm in space.
The solar disturbance disabled at least 40 of the 49 satellites newly launched Starlink internet communications network satellites.
Images captured by stargazers in Puerto Rico shows the broken satellites hurtling across the sky.
flames can be seen tailing the chunks of satellite debris.
The stricken satellites appear similar to shooting stars as they move across the sky.
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The geomagnetic storm struck last Friday, February 4, and was triggered by a large burst of radiation from the sun.
According to SpaceX, the speed and severity of the solar storm warmed Earth’s atmosphere, thus increasing atmospheric density at the low-orbit altitude of the satellites, essentially creating intense friction that knocked out at least 40 of the satellites.
The satellites safely burned up on re-entry over the Earth, according to SpaceX.
“This is unprecedented as far as I know,” Harvard University-based astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell told Reuters.
SpaceX launches batch of Starlink satellites with Falcon 9
He added the event was the first time he was aware of satellite failures caused by an increase in atmospheric density from a solar storm, rather by higher electromagnetic radiation itself.
SpaceX has launched hundreds of small satellites into orbit since 2019 as part of Musk’s Starlink service for broadband internet.
The company ultimately envisions a constellation of roughly 12,000 satellites in all.
NASA has raised concerns over the scale of SpaceX’s satellite development plans.
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“NASA has concerns with the potential for a significant increase in the frequency of conjunction events and possible impacts to NASA’s science and human spaceflight missions,” the agency wrote in a report to the Federal Communications Commission.
NASA noted there are currently 25,000 total objects tracked on-orbit – and about 6,100 below 600 km.
Space X has also requested authorization for a second-generation constellation of 30,000 satellites.
NASA argues this second generational phase “would more than double the number of tracked objects in orbit and increase the number of objects below 600 km over five-fold.”
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