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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Science
Donna Lu

SpaceX to lose up to 40 Starlink satellites after geomagnetic storm

SpaceX Starlink Elon Musk United States
A SpaceX rocket carrying 49 Starlink internet satellites heads skyward after launching at the Kennedy Space Center
A SpaceX rocket carrying 49 Starlink satellites heads skyward after launching at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Photograph: Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

SpaceX will lose up to 40 of the 49 Starlink satellites it launched last week as the result of a geomagnetic storm, the company has announced.

Elon Musk’s firm launched the satellites into low-Earth orbit on 3 February from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but 80% of them are now expected to burn up instead of reaching their intended orbit.

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