I never expected that when I saw news today, Musk's starlink satellite suddenly fell in large numbers. What was the reason?
Musk has been committed to the Starlink satellite project. Everyone knows that the satellites of the project can be used for combat command links, and it is said that they have also assisted Ukraine. Previously, Musk's more eye-catching move was to cooperate with Trump to help Trump ascend to the presidency. However, recently, Musk and Trump have publicly turned against each other, which has also made Musk continue to be on the hot search.
But this time Musk became a hot search because of the large number of his starlink satellites falling. What's going on? According to news reports, in recent years, Musk's SpaceX has launched starlink satellites crazily, but recently it has encountered "satellite showers", that is, a large number of satellites fell. As of 2024, 583 satellites have fallen, which means that one is "reimbursed" for every 15.
At first, the number of satellites fell was relatively normal, for example, only two were dropped in 2020. But by 2021, this number soared to 78. The situation in 2024 is even more exaggerated, with 316 satellites "burned" due to the peak of solar activity (the "burned" is in quotes).
The NASA study in the United States found that when the 11-year cycle of solar activity reaches its peak, the solar wind triggers a magnetic storm, which heats the Earth's atmosphere and causes it to expand. Low-orbit satellites like Starlink satellites will experience a sharp increase in resistance and eventually fall into the atmosphere. And it is very interesting that 70% of the falls occur during medium-weak magnetic storms, which may be the result of long-term resistance accumulation.
Musk is one of the richest people in the world, but satellite launch and maintenance are still a huge cost. Personally, SpaceX chooses a low orbit to reduce costs, but underestimates the threat of solar activity, which is probably a very direct reason for the large number of satellites falling. If satellites are deployed on a large scale in the future, similar accidents may be more frequent and may even exacerbate the space garbage problem. Although science and technology is developing rapidly, the laws of nature cannot be ignored. Therefore, when working on science and technology, we must follow scientific laws.
What do you think about the recent large-scale fall of Musk's Starlink satellites? Please leave a message in the comment area.
(Sounded statement: I am a purely "wild blogger", neither a military-to-military department staff nor an expert in the industry, but just a retired military officer. All tweets are personal inferences and experience sharing. If there are any similarities, it is purely coincidental.)
