Elon Musk’s Trial by the Sun: Why More Than a Thousand Starlink Satellites Burned Up

The approach to the peak of Solar Cycle 25 has heated and expanded the Earth’s upper atmosphere. This expansion created excessive drag on low-Earth orbit Starlink satellites, causing more than 1,200 satellites to de-orbit and burn up upon re-entry since 2019. When you combine an extraordinary amount of solar activity with thousands of satellites orbiting in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), you get a collision course where the Sun always prevails. Since SpaceX began the Starlink program in 2019, over 500 Starlink satellites have made unplanned atmospheric re-entries.

This situation does not mean the Starlink network is failing. Nor does it mean that these satellites are crashing to Earth like giant anvils; most satellite components burn up and disintegrate before reaching the Earth’s surface. However, it does mean that unwanted and intense drag is occurring in orbit. The main culprit for this drag is the Sun, the star at the center of our Solar System.

Thanks to the current, relatively intense Solar Cycle, which is filled with sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), the Earth’s upper atmosphere is heating up significantly, causing it to expand. This expansion increases the amount of drag on spacecraft in low orbit. When the gravitational force becomes overwhelming, objects like Starlink satellites “fall” out of orbit and are destroyed by burning up in the upper atmosphere.

The Most Active Solar Cycle in History and SpaceX’s Cost

The Sun is currently in the middle of Solar Cycle 25, an 11-year period during which its magnetic poles gradually reverse. According to a team of scientists led by space physicist Denny Oliveira, our Solar System is experiencing a peak in activity as the Sun approaches Solar Maximum, which is the solar magnetic pole reversal.

When solar flares or coronal mass ejections erupt, the Earth’s upper atmosphere is filled with streams of charged particles. These particles heat and expand the upper atmosphere. Scientists did not expect the current Solar Cycle to be this active, and SpaceX is first in line among those who have to bear the cost of the Sun‘s numerous temper tantrums.

While all objects in Low Earth Orbit are sensitive to increased solar activity, SpaceX has launched 8,873 Starlink satellites since 2019, with 7,669 still operational. This means that 1,204 satellites are no longer functional. Hundreds have been actively de-orbited. Never before have there been so many low-orbit satellites in orbit during periods of such high solar activity.

Still, it is important to remember that many of the Starlink satellites that de-orbit and burn up are consciously programmed by SpaceX to do so. As new satellites are sent into orbit and older hardware becomes outdated, deliberately de-orbiting obsolete hardware is the only way to keep these constellations current and provide the high-speed internet that Starlink promises.

However, the Sun‘s increased activity becomes a difficult variable to account for, especially considering we cannot physically “cool” the upper atmosphere when it overheats. SpaceX designs its satellites to be retired after five years of service, and the hardware is manufactured to disintegrate before reaching the Earth’s surface. While occasional small debris pieces manage to fall to the ground, the vast majority of these satellites never make it down to the lower layers of the upper atmosphere.

While this is a cost of doing business in space for SpaceX, it also serves as a reminder that no matter how incredible human technology may be, the Sun and gravity are ultimately the reigning forces.

You Might Also Like;

• We Selected 10 Series Similar to Stranger Things for Those Who Love It
• Where and How is Silver Used in Electric Vehicles?
• Hyundai Unveils Its Multi-Purpose Wheeled Robot