The loss of a total of 40 satellites in a single solar event has been described as “unheard of” and “huge”.
Elon Musk-owned Starlink lost a dozen of satellites that were caught in a geomagnetic storm a day after the satellites were launched on February 3. According to Starlink, some 40 out of 49 satellites have to bear the brunt of having fallen from orbit before they could even be commissioned.
“(Rocket) Falcon 9’s second stage deployed the satellites into their intended orbit, with a perigee of approximately 210 km above Earth, and each satellite achieved controlled flight. Unfortunately, the satellites deployed on Thursday (February 3) were significantly impacted by a geomagnetic storm on February 4,” a statement released by Starlink on Tuesday read.
The satellites were primarily designed keeping in mind that they would burn up during reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere and not create debris in space. The loss of a total of 40 satellites in a single solar event has been described as “unheard of” and “huge”.
All you need to know about solar storms/flares
Solar storms are magnetic plasma that emerged at great speed from the solar surface. This usually occurs during the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots. Sunspots are the dark regions on the surface of the Sun. These dark regions are comparatively cooler than the surrounding photosphere. Solar storms usually last for a few minutes or sometimes even hours. The solar storm that deorbited the satellites that took place on February 1 and 2 and its powerful trails were observed later on February 3.
“The emerging data suggest that the passing of the latter part of the storm, with its high-density core, possessed speeds higher than what was recorded during the storm’s arrival — something we did not expect,” physicist Prof Dibyendu Nandi, head of the Centre of Excellence in Space Sciences India (CESSI) at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata told the Indianexpress.com. The storm was unusual and an unexpectedly extended event. On of a kind not seen in recent past, Pro Nandi added.
Impact on Earth
Experts believe that not all solar flares reach Earth surface. But solar flares/storms, solar energetic particles (SEPs), high-speed solar winds, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that come close to the surface of earth most likely impact the space weather in near-Earth space and the upper atmosphere.
Additionally, solar storms can also hit operations of global positioning systems (GPS), radio, and satellite communications. Geomagnetic storms can also hit high-frequency radio communications and GPS navigation systems. Aircraft flights, power grids, and space exploration programmes are also equally vulnerable.
CMEs, (coronal mass ejections) loaded with matter travelling at millions of miles an hour, is also a potential threat to the magnetosphere which is a protective layer surrounding the Earth. Astronauts on spacewalks could face possible health risks from exposure to solar radiation outside the Earth’s protective atmosphere.
Predicting solar storms and solar activities
Solar physicists, scientists among others use computer models in order to predict solar storms and solar activities. The recent phenomenon, February 1-2, that knocked out Starlink’s satellites were already predicted on January 29.
“Current models are capable of predicting a storm’s time of arrival and its speed. But the storm’s structure or orientation still cannot be predicted,” Prof Nandi told IE.
It is also said that certain orientations of the magnetic fields can give rise to an intensified response from the magnetosphere that could potentially trigger more intense magnetic storms. Also, with the rising global dependence of the world on satellites for almost every big thing, this is time we need better space weather forecasts and more effective ways to protect satellites in space.
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