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Geomagnetic storm knocks out 40 SpaceX Starlink satellites a day after launch

Just a day after their launch, 40 Starlink satellites have been knocked out by a storm.

Donovan Erskine

February 9, 2022 10:00 AM

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Elon Musk’s SpaceX is one of the leading names in space exploration. With Starlink, the company uses a system of satellites in outer space in order to provide high speed internet to people around the world. SpaceX recently deployed a batch of these satellites, but the majority of them have gone up in smoke - literally. SpaceX has reportedly lost 40 satellites to a geomagnetic storm just one day after they were launched into space.

It was reported by the BBC that 40 SpaceX satellites had been lost following a geomagnetic storm, which was caused by an explosion on the surface of the Sun. This resulted in 40 of the 49 satellites to fall from orbit and burn up in the atmosphere. The satellites were originally launched on February 3, 2022. The geomagnetic storm hit on February 4.

SpaceX gave a statement on the incident, saying that "onboard GPS suggests the escalation speed and severity of the storm caused atmospheric drag to increase up to 50% higher than during previous launches." The company had initially put the satellites in a safe mode in an attempt to limit the atmospheric drag and its impact, but that wasn’t enough to save them. UK Space Agency Head of Space Surveillance Jacob Geer assured that there’s no expectation that any pieces of the satellites will crash into the earth’s surface. He also added that "events like this are a reminder that space is challenging - getting satellites or astronauts into orbit is still not easy."

SpaceX’s Starlink has been an ambitious project, and this week’s satellite incident will surely be a setback in making that service accessible to more people around the globe. For more on the ventures of SpaceX, stick with us here on Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_