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太阳风暴摧毁40颗SpaceX在轨卫星

Solar Storm Destroys 40 New SpaceX Satellites in Orbit

Over the past three years, SpaceX has deployed thousands of satellites into low-Earth orbit as part of its business to beam high-speed internet service from space. But the company’s latest deployment of 49 new satellites after a Feb. 3 launch did not go as planned.

在过去的三年里,SpaceX已经将数千颗卫星部署到低地球轨道,作为其从太空传输高速互联网服务业务的一部分。但该公司在2月3日的发射后,最新部署的49颗新卫星并没有按计划进行。

As a consequence of a geomagnetic storm triggered by a recent outburst of the sun, up to 40 of 49 newly launched Starlink satellites have been knocked out of commission. They are in the process of re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, where they will be incinerated.

由于近期太阳活动所引发的地磁暴,49颗新发射的Starlink卫星中,有多达40颗被损坏。它们正在重新进入地球的大气层,在那里它们将被焚烧。

The incident highlights the hazards faced by numerous companies planning to put tens of thousands of small satellites in orbit to provide internet service from space. And it’s possible that more solar outbursts will knock some of these newly deployed orbital transmitters out of the sky. The sun has an 11-year-long cycle in which it oscillates between hyperactive and quiescent states. Presently, it is ramping up to its peak, which has been forecast to arrive around 2025.

这一事件凸显了众多计划将数以万计的小卫星放入轨道以从太空提供互联网服务的公司所面临的危险。而且,更多的太阳活动有可能将这些新部署的轨道发射器中的一些打下天空。太阳活动有一个长达11年的周期,它在过度活跃和静止状态之间摇摆。目前,它正在向它的高峰攀升,预计将在2025年左右抵达最高峰

SpaceX announced the looming destruction of as many as 40 of its satellites in a company blog post on Tuesday night. The company said that after the launch, the satellites were released to their intended orbit, about 130 miles above Earth.

SpaceX在周二晚上的一篇公司博客文章中宣布,其多达40颗卫星被毁。 该公司表示,在发射后,这些卫星被释放到预定的轨道上,距离地球约130英里。

Read more at The New York Times

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