Synopsis

In February of 2022, a U.S. space exploration firm deployed forty-nine satellites in a single launch. Soon afterward, however, forty of those satellites lost their orbital stability and disintegrated upon re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. Such incidents are not new; similar failures have plagued space endeavors throughout history. The primary culprit behind these events is thought to be solar flares—powerful explosions erupting on the sun’s surface. These flares can also trigger widespread dis