Biggest Geomagnetic Storm in Decades Disrupts Elon Musk's Starlink Satellite Internet

Starlink, SpaceX's satellite arm, warned of "degraded service" on Saturday as Earth encounters its worst geomagnetic storm in 20 years due to increased solar activity.

In a recent X post, Elon Musk acknowledged that Starlink satellites are under strain from the geomagnetic storm but said they are holding well. Starlink dominates the satellite internet business with 60% of Earth's 7,500 satellites.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said this storm is the biggest since October 2003, according to Reuters.

Starlink's extensive network of low-Earth-orbiting satellites utilizes laser connections to transmit data rapidly, enabling global internet connectivity.

What To Know About the Solar Storm Affecting Starlink

A G5 geomagnetic storm could cause "widespread voltage control problems" and grid system failures or blackouts, according to NOAA. Residential electrical wires are not at risk, it says.

NOAA noted that geomagnetic storms are significant disruptions of Earth's magnetosphere caused by solar wind energy interacting with the space environment around Earth, often accompanied by powerful solar flares called coronal mass ejections. At least seven have occurred since Wednesday, as reported by Fox News.

Changes in the solar wind alter the currents, plasma, and fields in the Earth's magnetosphere, causing these storms.

NOAA expects the storm to last all weekend, threatening navigation systems, power grids, satellite navigation, and other vital services. The latest Level 5 geomagnetic event caused power disruptions in Sweden and transformer damage in South Africa.

Massive solar flares hit Earth on Friday, and the storm lit the US sky in a stunning spectacle unseen in years or decades. Northern light displays, usually limited to areas bordering the Canadian border, have seen pink, green, and purple skies in Florida, Texas, and Alabama.

Although conditions deteriorated to a Level 4 storm on Saturday morning, NOAA warns of further geomagnetic activity throughout the weekend due to solar flares, perhaps until early next week.

SpaceX Selling Sophisticated Satellite Laser Tech to Companies

SpaceX previously announced that it is selling satellite laser technology to corporations worldwide. At the Satellite Show conference in Washington in March, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell revealed that SpaceX is selling its cutting-edge Starlink technology to other satellite companies, per a previous TechTimes report.

Inter-satellite laser connections facilitate rapid data transfer, enhancing global internet coverage and reducing reliance on ground stations.

As early as 2021, SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet network used laser-based communication. These optical inter-satellite links (ISLs) allow constellation satellites to communicate directly without a ground station connection. It boosts internet speeds and minimizes data transmission delays.

SpaceX wants to create new satellite communication standards with over 8,000 lasers in the Starlink constellation, each capable of 100 Gbps data throughput. Starlink users worldwide may get 42 petabytes of data every day from the laser system, according to SpaceX engineer Travis Brashears.

The laser system maintains a link uptime of over 99% despite the need to connect hundreds of Earth-orbiting satellites. Users need this dependability for uninterrupted data transfers and internet access.

Brashears demonstrated the laser system's ability to connect satellites thousands of kilometers apart. Despite 5,400 kilometers, the system remained connected, displaying its versatility in varied operational conditions.