Starlink geomagnetic-storm loss (February 2022)

In February 2022, a geomagnetic storm struck shortly after SpaceX deployed a batch of 49 Starlink satellites into a very low initial orbit (around 210 km). The storm heated and expanded the upper atmosphere, increasing drag on the satellites enough that most could not raise their orbits as planned — and up to 38 of the 49 re-entered the atmosphere.

Space weather as an operational risk The episode was a vivid, public lesson that space weather is an operational factor for the very-low-altitude deployment strategy used by large constellations. SpaceX deliberately commissions new Starlink satellites at low altitude so that any that fail checks re-enter quickly; the storm turned that safety feature into a mass loss.

No lasting debris Because the satellites were so low, those that were lost re-entered within days and left no lasting debris — but the event reshaped how operators think about launching into the teeth of solar activity as the Sun approached the active phase of its cycle.