Up to 40 satellites recently launched as part of a new Starlink internet communications system were damaged by a solar geomagnetic storm and are expected …
Up to 40 satellites recently launched as part of a new Starlink internet communications system were damaged by a solar geomagnetic storm and are expected to fall to earth and burn up in the atmosphere, SpaceX, the systems’ manufacturer, announced Tuesday. The loss of the satellites highlights the vulnerability of American civilian and military space systems to the damaging effects of a possible electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack from an adversary, according to security analysts. Starlink is a global network of low-Earth orbit satellites that provide high-speed broadband internet service, according to SpaceX, the commercial space company headed by Elon Musk. “The loss of 40 Starlink satellites to a recent geomagnetic storm should be yet another wake-up call to Washington about the existential threat to our civilization from a solar superstorm,” said Peter Pry, a former CIA official and advocate for defenses against EMP and solar storms. Mr. Pry, who participated in a congressional EMP commission several years ago, said the recent geomagnetic storm was not a superstorm like the one that took place in 1859 prior to the electronic age, following a sunburst called the “Carrington Event.” “The EMP Commission warned that such a storm could potentially damage many civilian and military satellites that are crucial to the nation’s economy and national security, as well as cause natural EMP/geomagnetic disturbance effects that could crash electric grids, resulting in a protracted nationwide blackout,” Mr.
