Geomagnetic storm causes dozens of Starlink satellites to reenter
Posted: Sun, Feb 13, 2022, 10:46 AM ET (1546 GMT)
As many as 40 Starlink satellites launched earlier this month will soon reenter, or have already done so, because of a geomagnetic storm. SpaceX said late Tuesday that the storm last Friday, a day after the launch of 49 satellites on a Falcon 9, increased atmospheric density, and thus drag, on the satellites in their very low initial orbit. The satellites, in a safe mode, were unable to raise their orbits. SpaceX said the satellites don't pose a risk to other spacecraft in orbit and that the satellites will burn up completely during reentry. SpaceX places Starlink satellites in a low initial orbit, with a perigee of 210 kilometers, to check out satellites before raising their orbits so that any satellites that fail those tests will quickly and naturally reenter.
As many as 40 Starlink satellites launched earlier this month will soon reenter, or have already done so, because of a geomagnetic storm. SpaceX said late Tuesday that the storm last Friday, a day after the launch of 49 satellites on a Falcon 9, increased atmospheric density, and thus drag, on the satellites in their very low initial orbit. The satellites, in a safe mode, were unable to raise their orbits. SpaceX said the satellites don't pose a risk to other spacecraft in orbit and that the satellites will burn up completely during reentry. SpaceX places Starlink satellites in a low initial orbit, with a perigee of 210 kilometers, to check out satellites before raising their orbits so that any satellites that fail those tests will quickly and naturally reenter.
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