Minor geomagnetic storm brings 40 recently launched Starlink satellites crashing down to earth

Space Weather
Wed, 09 Feb 2022 20:30 UTC

As many as 40 Starlink satellites are currently falling out of the sky--the surprising result of a minor geomagnetic storm. SpaceX made the announcement yesterday:

"On Thursday, Feb. 3rd at 1:13 p.m. EST, Falcon 9 launched 49 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ... Unfortunately, the satellites deployed on Thursday were significantly impacted by a geomagnetic storm on Friday, [Feb. 4th]."

Two days before launch a CME hit Earth's magnetic field. It was not a major space weather event. In fact, the weak impact did not at first spark any remarkable geomagnetic activity. However, as Earth passed through the CME's wake, some sputtering G1-class geomagnetic storms developed. It was one of these minor storms that caught the Starlink satellites on Feb. 4th.

Geomagnetic storms heat Earth's upper atmosphere. Diaphanous tendrils of warming air literally reached up and grabbed the Starlink satellites. According to SpaceX, onboard GPS devices detected atmospheric drag increasing "up to 50 percent higher than during previous launches."

"The Starlink team commanded the satellites into a safe-mode where they would fly edge-on (like a sheet of paper) to minimize drag," says SpaceX. "Preliminary analysis show the increased drag at the low altitudes prevented the satellites from leaving safe-mode to begin orbit raising maneuvers, and up to 40 of the satellites will reenter or already have reentered the Earth's atmosphere."

The Sociedad de Astronomia del Caribe apparently caught one of the reentries over Puerto Rico on Feb. 7th:

SpaceX says that the deorbiting satellites "pose zero collision risk with other satellites and by design demise upon atmospheric reentry — meaning no orbital debris is created and no satellite parts hit the ground."

Keep an eye on the night sky this week. You might catch a Starlink satellite burning up overhead.

Comment: With earth's geomagnetic field wavering because of what's looking like an unprecedentedly weak solar cycle, which makes it even more sensitive to energy from the sun, this doesn't bode well for the 1,700+ star link satellites in orbit. It also calls into question the other objects and debris littering Earth's lower orbit.

Space Weather recently detailed why some think that Solar Cycle 25 is showing all the signs that it will be unusually weak:

SOLAR CYCLE 25--A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW

For much of the past year, the space weather community has been buzzing about the strong performance of young Solar Cycle 25 (SC25). Every month, sunspot numbers seem to blow past official predictions. This means we're about to have a strong Solar Maximum, right?​

"Not so fast," cautions Dr. Ron Turner, an analyst at the ANSER research institute in Virginia. "It may be too early to anticipate a strong solar cycle."​

This graph shows why Turner is skeptical:​

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Solar Cycle 25 is doing something interesting. It is mimicking old Solar Cycle 24 (SC24). "I took sunspot numbers from the early years of SC24 (the red dashed line) and overlaid them on SC25," says Turner. "They're an almost perfect match."​

This is significant because Solar Cycle 24 went on to become the weakest solar cycle in a century. Its hot start did not lead to a strong maximum. Turner isn't saying that Solar Cycle 25 will likewise be a dud. But, rather, "these early sunspot numbers are not enough to guarantee a strong cycle."​

See also:

• Solar Cycle 25: Is a Termination Event imminent?
• The effects of solar flares on Earth's magnetosphere
• The sun's magnetic field is ten times stronger than previously believed
• Electromagnetic 'tug-of-war' lights up Jupiter's upper atmosphere

And check out SOTT radio's:

• Adapt 2030 Ice Age Report: Interview with Laura Knight-Jadczyk and Pierre Lescaudron
• Behind the Headlines: Earth changes in an electric universe: Is climate change really man-made?
• Behind the Headlines: The Electric Universe - An interview with Wallace Thornhill
• MindMatters: The Holy Grail, Comets, Earth Changes and Randall Carlson