Starlink Reports ‘Degraded Service’ as Severe Geomagnetic Storm Impacts Earth

Elon Musk post on X warning of potential interruptions to Starlink internet services in the evening of May 10. x.comStarlink, the satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, is experiencing service disruptions following a solar storm that first impacted Earth Friday May 10. The company posted a banner on its website stating, “Starlink is currently experiencing degraded service. Our team is investigating.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned that the storm was likely to remain throughout the weekend, posing risks to navigation systems, power grids, and satellites.

Starlink currently operates over 6,000 satellites in low earth orbit. While losing one or two doesn’t mean the entire system goes down, it can lead to gaps in coverage as the satellites orbit over 300 miles above the Earth’s surface.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took to X last night to report that the satellite-based internet system was being impacted by the Extreme (G5) rated geomagnetic storm.

“Major geomagnetic solar storm happening right now. Biggest in a long time. Starlink satellites are under a lot of pressure, but holding up so far.”

The company has not provided an estimated time for restoration of full service. As the storm is ongoing, further interruptions may be possible.

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