Solar storms are knocking Starlink satellites out of orbit, scientists warn
As Elon Musk floods the sky with satellites, scientists say the Sun is quietly pulling them back down.
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As Elon Musk floods the sky with satellites, scientists say the Sun is quietly pulling them back down.
- The Sun is entering a volatile phase in its 11-year cycle, with powerful solar storms disrupting low-Earth orbit satellites and shortening their lifespans by as much as 10 days.
- With over 7,000 satellites already in orbit and 42,000 planned, SpaceX’s Starlink system is under growing scrutiny as researchers warn that solar activity, reentry debris, and orbital congestion pose serious safety and sustainability risks.
- With China and the EU ramping up rival satellite constellations, Starlink is becoming a flashpoint in space diplomacy. Elon Musk’s involvement in the Ukraine war and tensions with US and European officials highlight the growing risks of private control over critical space infrastructure.
On Saturday night (May 31st), SpaceX launched another 27 satellites into Earth’s orbit as its newest addition to Elon Musk’s broadband internet constellation. This was the 25th flight for this booster, including 14 previous Starlink launches.
As the network grows, so do concerns about it. Scientists are now warning that the Sun’s activity is messing with satellite orbits. As the Sun heads into the peak of its 11-year cycle, the solar maximum, it is firing off powerful geomagnetic storms that are pushing satellites out of orbit ahead of schedule.
During periods of heightened solar activity, a Starlink satellite's operational lifespan can be shortened by up to ten days. And with thousands of them up there, these findings are raising new doubts about how long the expansion of the network is still safe and sustainable.
NASA warns that the sun is affecting satellites
According to the New Scientist, powerful solar storms, triggered by bursts of energized particles from the Sun, are shortening the lifespans of low-Earth orbit satellites by increasing atmospheric drag and forcing premature reentries.
This phenomenon is intensifying as the Sun approaches the solar maximum.
“We found that when we have geomagnetic storms, satellites re-enter faster than expected,” said NASA scientist Denny Oliveira, who studies the impact of solar activity on satellite trajectories.
While scientists have long understood that solar storms can affect satellites, the scale of SpaceX’s Starlink constellation has provided researchers with unprecedented data.
“It’s the first time in history we have so many satellites re-entering at the same time,” Oliveira noted.Some satellites are designed to burn up completely during reentry, but not all debris disintegrates on the way down.
“This is the first solar maximum we’ve had in the mega-constellation era,” said Samantha Lawler, an astrophysicist at the University of Regina.
“So it is important to do these measurements.”
A sky full of satellites and a growing problem
Since launching its first satellite in 2018, Starlink has grown into the dominant player in the satellite internet sector. It currently has more than 7,000 satellites in orbit and plans to launch 42,000 more by the end of the decade.
SpaceX has far outpaced competitors like Amazon’s Kuiper project and China’s state-backed systems. For the same reason, the company has also been accused of monopolizing the space satellite industry since its inception.
On the other hand, scientists and regulators are sounding the alarm about the broader implications of flooding low-Earth orbit with hardware. Concerns include space traffic, collision risks, and the long-term sustainability of satellite operations in increasingly crowded skies.
NASA data shows that between 2020 and 2024, 523 Starlink satellites have re-entered Earth’s atmosphere. While some of those reentries were planned and controlled, many were not.
The company has acknowledged that some solar storms have degraded service and, in one notable 2022 event, wiped out 40 satellites in a single blow.
Even more concerning: not everything is burning up completely on reentry. Last year, a fragment of a Starlink satellite was recovered from a farm in Saskatchewan, Canada.In 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that Starlink satellites could injure or kill a person every two years and threaten to bring down an aircraft.
China is catching up
China, meanwhile, is racing to develop its own satellite internet system, sparking fears among Western officials that the battle for control of orbital space could have geopolitical consequences.
Beijing’s growing satellite presence could extend its internet censorship regime globally if left unchecked. China launched a record 263 low-Earth orbit satellites last year.
Three other Chinese constellations are also in development. Beijing plans to launch 43,000 satellites in the coming decades and is investing in rockets that can carry multiple satellites.
Starlink at the center of geopolitical disputes
At the beginning of 2023, Musk received backlash after he admitted to turning off Starlink satellite connections in occupied Crimea during a Ukrainian raid on a Russian naval fleet.
Musk explained it as a preventative action from being “complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation.”
The Wall Street Journal claimed that Musk has been in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2022. Musk’s comments have also outraged Ukraine and its allies, as the billionaire suggested that Ukraine remain neutral and formally give Crimea to Russia.
The situation got more tense when, in February, US negotiators working on a critical minerals deal with Ukraine had hinted at a potential shutdown of Elon Musk's Starlink in Ukraine should a deal not be reached. Musk himself took a stance on X in March. In response to criticism on X that he was downplaying Russia’s role in the war while focusing his critiques on Ukraine, Elon Musk defended his position by pointing to his past support for Ukraine.
“I literally challenged Putin to single combat over Ukraine,” he wrote, adding, “and my Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. If I turned it off, their entire front line would collapse.” He also responded to the Polish foreign minister, calling him “a small man,” after he responded that Poland is paying part of the Starlink service fee in Ukraine.
Europe seeks sovereignty in space
European officials have stressed the importance of the EU’s space sovereignty. Trusting a foreign company with critical space infrastructure could be risky. Europe has been working on its flagship space programs, such as IRIS2 and GovSatCom, to secure satellite communication networks. This is a strategic move to reduce the continent’s dependence on non-European systems used as critical infrastructure.
IRIS2 (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity, and Security by Satellite), a Starlink competitor, plans to start service by 2030.
At the end of 2024, the European Commission signed a €10.6 billion concession agreement with the SpaceRISE consortium for a European satellite network.