On February 3, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket delivered another batch of 49 Starlink satellites into orbit. Everything went well, however, as it turned out now, 40 of these 49 devices were put out of action as a result of a geomagnetic storm.
SpaceX notes that the geomagnetic storm that caused the satellites to deploy and occupy the required space in orbit turned out to be 50% stronger than usual. To avoid it, the devices were put into a safe mode of operation. As further analysis showed, after the storm the satellites were unable to exit this mode in order to rise to the previously set positions. As a result, 40 out of 49 vehicles will fall (or have already fallen) and burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. SpaceX emphasizes this point, pointing out that the risk of other aircraft colliding with them is zero, which guarantees the absence of any flying debris in orbit. The company notes that it has done everything possible to minimize the amount of orbital debris in such an emergency.
This situation, of course, will slightly slow down the development of the Starlink network, but it will not affect its operation in any way: there are already about 2,000 devices in orbit that ensure the stable operation of satellite Internet in those regions where Starlink operates in principle.
Source: ixbt
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