The Sun Sneezes, Satellites Fall

🛰💥 SpaceX is in the process of losing 40 of the 49 brand-new Starlink internet satellites it launched last week, according to an update released yesterday. The cause? A geomagnetic storm.

• Geomagnetic storms occur when intense solar wind near Earth spawns shifting currents and plasmas in Earth's magnetosphere, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.
• In simpler terms, the sun sneezed (erupted) on January 30. When its particles reached Earth they warmed the upper atmosphere, which in turn led to up to 50% more drag being exerted upon the satellites. Think: running uphill into a heavy wind.
• SpaceX intentionally releases Starlink batches in a low orbit to launch more at a time, and so that any malfunctions after launch will result in the satellite quickly deorbiting and burning up in the atmosphere – not colliding with something else in space or falling all the way to the Earth.

+The big picture: Starlink’s goal is to provide high-speed internet to people anywhere on the planet via a network of satellites. Around 2,000 Starlink satellites have already been launched and, depending on how regulatory approval goes, there could eventually be about 40,000 more.

The company is currently taking preorders; Musk recently said more than 100,000 satellite internet terminals have been shipped to customers in 14 countries.

But Starlink has been criticized by astronomers, who say the high number of satellites crossing the night sky can leave streaks in telescope views. SpaceX is currently working to limit the satellites’ impact on the astronomy community.

+Dig deeper: Everything you need to know about Starlink.