Starlink, the satellite branch of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has issued a warning of “degraded service” as Earth experiences the largest geomagnetic storm in two decades. The storm, caused by solar activity, has put pressure on Starlink satellites, which Musk noted were holding up so far.
Starlink, which owns approximately 60% of the roughly 7,500 satellites orbiting Earth, is a key player in satellite internet services. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has confirmed that this storm is the most significant since October 2003 and is expected to persist over the weekend. It poses risks to navigation systems, power grids, and satellite navigation services, among others.
Starlink’s thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit use inter-satellite laser links to transfer data at the speed of light, enabling global internet coverage. However, the current solar storm has disrupted their operations, highlighting the challenges faced by satellite networks in extreme space weather conditions.
