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SpaceX says all satellites remains healthy amid geomagnetic storm

Published

2 years ago

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Starlink

SpaceX today announced that all of its Starlink communication satellites in Earth’s orbit weathered the geomagnetic storm and remain healthy.

Geomagnetic storms originate from the Sun. This event occurs due to Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) or massive plasma bursts and magnetic fields ejected from the Sun’s surface. The earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere reduce the effects of solar flares. The most impactful emissions from flares are energetically charged particles and electromagnetic radiation.

The collision of Earth’s magnetic field and solar flare causes heat in Earth’s outer atmosphere causing it to expand. This increases the drag on Earth-orbiting satellites and degrades satellite communications.

The drag continues to expand with atmospheric density, especially for those low-Earth orbiting satellites. In worst-case scenarios, this event could cause malfunctions, glitches, or permanent damage to critical components.

SpaceX accounts for more than half of the satellites orbiting Earth, nearly 6000. It’s impressive, how the company survived this storm without losing a satellite.

Soon after the storm, Elon Musk, Founder and CEO of SpaceX posted an update on Starlink satellites on social media site X. Musk mentioned that the major storm was the biggest in a long time and Starlink satellites are under a lot of pressure “but holding up so far”.

Soon after Starlink user reported a “Degraded service” notification on their Starlink dish connection with the following message.

“Your area is currently experiencing degraded service. Some websites and applications may temporarily not work or report you are at a different location.” says the message.

Meanwhile, Michale Nicolls, VP of Starlink Engineering said newly launched satellites also whethered through this storm. He said conditions were intense over 2 to 3 times density increase at around 300km.

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Mannoo specializes in Generative AI, Large Language Model (LLM), and Aerospace Science. Prior to delving into these fields, he was a Python programmer, a game designer, and an Android and iOS app developer with over 5 years of experience. He has prior writing experience in creative writing about smartphones and technology before working at Eonmsk.com. You can explore his X/TWitter and LinkedIn pages or contact him through his email.

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