On February 3, SpaceX launched a rocket with 49 Starlink satellites. The second stage of the Falcon 9 brought the satellites into orbit, where they were deployed at an altitude of about 210 km above the Earth. SpaceX deliberately launches its satellites in lower orbits so that in the event of unforeseen situations (which happens very rarely), they can quickly deorbit them into the atmosphere. On February 4, a geomagnetic storm hit the satellites and prevented them from reaching a higher orbit. According to the company, about 40 devices will be brought from low orbit into the Earth’s atmosphere, where they will completely burn up.
Geomagnetic storms cause the atmosphere to heat up and increase its density at low deployment altitudes, which is why onboard GPS shows a 50% increase in atmospheric drag compared to previous launches. The Starlink team put the satellites into a safe mode, in which they fly edge-on, to minimize drag and “shelter” from the storm.
Preliminary analysis showed that increased resistance at low altitudes prevented the satellites from exiting safe mode and beginning maneuvers to move to a higher orbit.
Unfortunately, 40 satellites must enter (or have already entered) the atmosphere and completely collapse.
SpaceX noted that the devices do not pose a danger to other objects, there is no risk of collision with other satellites. Due to their design, they do not form orbital debris, and parts of the satellites will not fall to Earth. Starlink is SpaceX’s global satellite system for providing access to high-speed broadband satellite internet in hard-to-reach places. In total, the company plans to deploy about 42,000 satellites in orbit.
Source: Trash Box
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