GEOPHYSICAL ASPECT OF A CATASTROPHIC LAUNCH OF STARLINK SATELLITES

On February 3, 2022, as part of the SpaceX program, the next Falcon 9 carrier with Starlink satellites was launched. The launch was unsuccessful, which led to the loss of 40 out of 49 satellites. According to SpaceX experts, the cause of this event was an increase in the density of the atmosphere in the intermediate orbit, due to a magnetic storm, followed by deceleration and loss of satellites. Based on the analysis of the geomagnetic situation, the article shows that it is not enough to limit ourselves to consider only a possible change in the density of the atmosphere as the cause of the catastrophe. Most likely, the reason is complex and involves, among other issues, a failure in the operation of the radio-electronic equipment of the satellites due to induced currents and their electrification.