Nearly 40 of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites have lost in the orbit due to a geomagnetic storm.
On Thursday, Elon Musk’s SpaceX sent 49 Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket into low Earth orbit.
According to the aerospace company, the geomagnetic storm caused a significant impact on around 80% of those satellites.
The Space Weather Prediction Center said that the disturbances between the Earth’s magnetic field and charged particles from the sun are the main reason for the formation of Geomagnetic storms.
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In a statement, SpaceX explained that because of the speed and intensity of the storm, the “atmospheric drag” climbed to levels 50% higher than previous launches. So the satellites couldn’t reach their orbital position.
In an attempt from the company to rescue the satellites, it tried to fly the satellites in “safe mode” to reduce atmospheric drag. Unfortunately, it didn’t work and the Starlink satellites couldn’t reach their intended destination.
If you are thinking what will happen to those satellites? The answer is that they will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up. SpaceX said some of them have already burnt.
Luckily, the affected satellites won’t collide with other satellites as they deorbit. SpaceX added, that this accident won’t leave any orbital debris, and the satellite parts won’t hit Earth too.
So far, SpaceX has launched more than 2,000 Starlink satellites into orbit.
