SATELLITE TV

[Barbara Christe]

Thousands of Starlink satellites are falling out of orbit faster than expected, and scientists just figured out why—the Sun is heating up Earth's upper atmosphere during its 11-year solar cycle, creating drag that pulls satellites down.

NASA researchers tracked 523 Starlink satellites and found they're reentering the atmosphere at rates measured in kilometers per day during geomagnetic storms. Satellites designed to last five years are dying in weeks.

SpaceX already lost 49 satellites in a single launch back in February 2022 when a "minor" solar storm hit right after deployment. Most burned up over the Caribbean within days.

The bigger problem? Solar Cycle 25 is more intense than predicted, and we've never had this many satellites in orbit during peak solar activity. Current prediction models can't keep up—satellites are falling faster than tracking systems can calculate.

With plans to expand from 7,000 to 30,000 satellites, SpaceX is facing a threat no amount of engineering can fully control.

The Sun just became the biggest risk to the satellite internet business.

[Gabrielle Cohen]

I just watched the movie, “Don’t Look Up”, and it is a perfect encapsulation of this problem, and the world at this very moment in time.  G

--
How to Google Group:
1. Please sign your posts. Your email address alone isn't enough.
2. No more than two posts per day from each person on any single topic.
3. No personal attacks. Write as though you’re standing on the porch of the general store addressing about 300 of your neighbors.
4. Kindly be clear in your post's Subject line, to respect readers' time.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mattole Valley Bulletin Board" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mattole+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mattole/9f7ac6ff-d552-4f9e-82b7-3aea2d62395an%40googlegroups.com.

[Barbara Christe]

Yup that is our culture.

[Chris Wright]

I love this so apt reminder of Starlink as Icarus. The best laid plans of Musk and men…