Study reveals major impacts of G5 – Extreme geomagnetic storm on satellite operations in May 2024

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) investigated the significant impacts and scientific insights from the May 2024 G5 – Extreme geomagnetic storm and how it impacted satellite operations and atmospheric activities.

• Driven by powerful X-class flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) this geomagnetic storm impacted Earth’s magnetosphere, particularly affecting satellite maneuvers in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
• Thousands of satellites began to maneuver en masse in response to the sudden increase in atmospheric density after CMEs impacted Earth.
• By analyzing data on induced currents, atmospheric density changes, and satellite orbit adjustments, researchers are trying to understand the consequences of major geomagnetic storms.

The historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024 provided researchers with a wealth of data and crucial information on how severe geomagnetic storms affect the world and technology. This storm, the most severe since 2003, shows the necessity of understanding geomagnetic disturbances, particularly their effects on satellite drag and atmospheric changes. This data is essential for better preparing for future storms and protecting the growing number of satellites in Low Earth Orbit(LEO).

Between May 7 and 12, Earth experienced periods of severe and extreme geomagnetic storming, triggered by a series of X-class flares and several Earth-bound CMEs from an active sunspot region AR3664. On May 10, at approximately 12:30 UTC, the first of these CMEs reached Earth, releasing a plethora of charged particles that interacted with Earth’s magnetic field — which resulted in spectacular auroras as far south as 21 degrees latitude and also caused extensive interruptions to satellite operations and communications.

The information garnered during the storm gave researchers precise measurements regarding atmospheric density change and how it influenced satellite drag. Satellites in LEO faced much higher resistance leading to orbital degradation.

This prompted many satellites, especially major constellations such as Starlink to make periodic orbit modifications to maintain their locations and avoid collisions.

During the geomagnetic storm in May, using the NRLMSISE-00 empirical model, researchers observed large density enhancements in the thermosphere. Before the storm hit there were slight enhancement in density due to the temperature rising during the day, but after the storm hit the density increased with up to a 6x elevation, which resulted in increased satellite drag and predicted inaccuracies in satellite positions.

“In the May 2023 storm, about 1 000 of the nearly 10 000 active payloads in LEO appear to be maneuvering during the quiet period leading up to the storm,” the researchers said. “After the storm hits, with some offset to account for the time it takes for drag decay to accumulate, thousands of satellites begin to maneuver en masse in response to the sudden increase in atmospheric density. For comparison, there was no discernable change in maneuver activity in LEO during the October 2003 Halloween storm.”

Most of the May 2024 maneuver activity is attributable to the Starlink constellation, which performs autonomous orbit maintenance and thus responds quickly to perturbing events. Onboard orbit maintenance will become more common as other proliferated LEO constellations are established.

The researchers found a huge rise in orbital decay rates for most tracked objects, with some suffering up to a fourfold acceleration in decay. For example, SATCAT 43180 (KANOPUS-V 3) observed its decay rate increase from 38 to 180 m/day (125 to 590 ft/day).

“The storm represented a serious challenge for the existing conjunction assessment infrastructure as it produced large, unpredictable perturbations on satellite trajectories in LEO,” the researchers stated.