Dozens of SpaceX satellites plunge from orbit and ignite a day after a geomagnetic storm struck them.
The company owned by billionaire Elon Musk disclosed on Tuesday, per a BBC report, that around 40 of the recently launched 49 Starlink satellites were hit by the solar storms from powerful explosions on the Sun's surface.
Last Thursday, SpaceX sent the Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit via a Falcon 9 rocket. They were intended to join the Starlink satellite internet project that aims to provide high-speed internet via thousands of orbiting satellites.
The most recent 49 SpaceX satellites were launched from a height of 210 kilometers (130 miles) above the Earth's surface. After being deployed on February 3, SpaceX claimed that each satellite functioned in a "controlled" manner.
Read Also : Elon Musk's Plan To Colonize Mars Will Be Faced With Uncertain Survival Issues Once First Settlers Arrive
Impact on SpaceX Starlink Satellite Operations
The geomagnetic storm, on the other hand, struck Earth a day later. It's the same kind of disturbance that causes the Northern Lights to appear, but it may also be harmful.
More than 2,000 Starlink satellites have been sent into orbit by SpaceX, with almost 1,900 currently operational.
Jonathan McDowell, a Harvard astronomer, said that the incident was "the biggest loss to date" for SpaceX. Per Business Insider, he believes that it won't be a "game-changer" for the company but it may prompt them to "change their deployment orbit" a little, noting that the Musks' space company has no single rocket failure yet.
Elon Musk Helps Tonga
The relatively expensive satellite system by SpaceX can be utilized in places where wired connections fail to reach--like in Tonga, which was struck by a tsunami generated by a massive eruption of an underwater volcano recently. A Starlink station is being established in neighboring Fiji to help restore communication access as an underwater communication cable got severely damaged by the catastrophe.
According to Tongan officials, Musk has been assisting Tonga to restore its internet connection. The repairs on the undersea cable has become more difficult than it was first assessed.
The tsunami severed Tonga's only fiber-optic connection to the rest of the globe, leaving the majority of the population without stable internet access.
The gigantic undersea volcano erupted on January 15, causing a tsunami that killed three people and wiped away numerous residences on nearby islands. The drinking water on the main island was contaminated with a thick covering of volcanic ash.
Due to the broen underwater cable, many Tongans are currently in a kind of lockdown, with their communications severely restricted.
However, there are expectations that with the assistance of Elon Musk, the island nation's connectivity would be fully restored soon.
According to an AP report, a top official in neighboring Fiji posted on social media tweeted that a crew from SpaceX was in Fiji constructing a station that would help reconnect Tonga through its network of nearly 2,000 low-orbit Starlink satellites, which should make internet access possible even to remote areas around the world.
Fiji Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum tweeted about the SpaceX efforts, saying the volcano's eruption had shattered Tonga's internet connection, "adding days of gut-wrenching uncertainty to disaster assessments."
However, SpaceX has not provided any word on the matter as of present writing.
