Why Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites are falling from space - and the sun isn't helping

Elon Musk might be the world's richest man, but there are some things even more powerful, like the Sun, and a weather phenomenon is wreaking havoc with the billionaire's SpaceX Starlink internet service satellites.

NASA scientists have found that eruptions on the Sun are resulting in Starlink satellites falling to Earth “faster than expected”.

The US space agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center were seeking to understand the impact of solar activity on the lifespan of low-Earth orbit satellites when they discovered this finding.

What did the team find?

The team noted how the Starlink satellites are "particularly prone to the effects of geomagnetic storms," which "heat up the planet’s atmosphere and increase the drag on satellites" as per The Independent.

This comes as the Sun is nearly at the solar maximum peak (the peak of an 11-year activity cycle), which has caused lots of geomagnetic storms, e.g. a massive solar flare caused radio blackouts last month, along with different kinds of extreme space weather.

“Our results indisputably show that satellites reenter faster with higher geomagnetic activity,” the researchers said.

“We clearly show that the intense solar activity of the current solar cycle has already had significant impacts on Starlink reentries.”

Getty

The Sun's power

Solar storm forecasting "has significantly improved over the past few years," wrote Piyush Mehta, a US professor of aerospace engineering, in The Conversation in 2022.

However, he added how "there is only so much shielding that can be done in the face of a powerful geomagnetic storm," then noted while the Sun is "essential for life to go on" compared its unpredictability to a child who often throws tantrums as its "ever-changing disposition make things challenging".

What are the consequences of the satellites falling faster?

As a result of the satellites falling to Earth “faster than expected,” it means there is an "increased chance" that they will not burn up properly in the Earth's atmosphere, and cause debris to fall to Earth.

Although this has happened on only one occasion, back in August last year when a piece from a Starlink satellite was found on a farm in Canada.

Elsewhere, Musk addresses reports of threat to Starlink in Ukraine, and Elon Musk's SpaceX satellites could be a danger to the environment.

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.