The sun is causing Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites to drop from space

Eruptions from the sun are causing SpaceX ’s Starlink satellites to fall to Earth “faster than expected”, according to Nasa scientists.

A team from the US space agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center made the discovery after investigating the impact of solar activity on the lifespan of satellites in low-Earth orbit.

Their findings revealed that Elon Musk ’s space internet constellation is particularly prone to the effects of geomagnetic storms, which heat up the planet’s atmosphere and increase the drag on satellites.

The study coincides with the sun reaching the peak of its 11-year activity cycle, known as the solar maximum, which has seen large amounts of geomagnetic storms and other extreme space weather.

“Our results indisputably show that satellites reenter faster with higher