Space weather behind unprecedented loss of 38 Starlink satellites: study

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Study by IISER Kolkata, found following factors for loss of satellites.
- Space weather conditions,
- Satellites in high-density low Earth orbit,
- Enhanced drag due to orientation changes of satellites.

Space Weather
- Space weather is environment around Earth, other planets, and celestial objects in our galaxy which is largely controlled by Sun’s activities.
- It is influenced by solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and other particles and emissions emanating from Sun.
  - Solar flares are sudden and intense explosions of energy on surface of Sun, often associated with sunspots. These are caused by release of magnetic energy stored in Sun’s atmosphere.
  - CMEs are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from Sun’s corona.

Impact of Space Weather on Earth
- Radio blackout storm: Electromagnetic energy released in flares disrupts radio signals in earth’s upper atmosphere impacting Navigation system.
- Geomagnetic storms (major disturbances in earth’s magnetic field) affect power grids, pipelines, and railways, and cause auroras.
- Solar radiation storm: Fast-moving charged particles from sun can permeate magnetosphere and endanger astronauts and spacecraft/satellites/aircraft.

It is a constellation of satellites in LEO (Created by SpaceX, American space start-up) providing global internet coverage, particularly for remote regions.
It plans to have as many as 42,000 satellites at altitude of about 550 km.
It offers reduced latency and increased bandwidth due to satellite's proximity to Earth.

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