There’s definitely something strange going on up in space. Another bizarre news has raised the concerns of space scientists when this week it was reported by the European Space Agency that the “Swarm constellation satellites” in space are sinking. We probably haven’t heard of this phenomenon before, but it would take its worst form if not handled well. This is the most pressing issue, which has made the scientists worried. According to the European Space Agency, these swarm constellation satellites have been deployed in space to measure the Earth’s magnetic field.
The satellites usually revolve in an orbit in their defined path, but the descending of these satellites back to the Earth is not something to just casually ignore. This might have been caused by the disordered and turbulent weather conditions in space. According to the Swarm mission manager, Anja Stromme, at the European Space Agency, “In the last five or six years, the satellites were sinking about two and a half kilometers [1.5 miles] a year. But since December last year, they have been virtually diving. The sink rate between December and April has been 20 kilometers [12 miles] per year.”
As per the European Space Agency, space weather plays a major role in worsening the sink rate of these satellites. ESA said that it is pretty normal for satellites to experience a drag force downwards toward Earth and this is the reason that the International Space Station always deploys such maneuvers that not only keep it in orbit but also prevent it from experiencing further drag.
Space enthusiasts must have been well aware of the recent but disturbing news that the growing sunspot has become double in size and is also facing directly towards Earth. The reason for pointing out this issue is that it might not be linked with the sinking of satellites, but it can affect the conditions prevailing in space, which ultimately become the reason for the sinking of satellites.
As per Space.com, “the sun has been acting pretty weird in general, since last fall.” Although scientists say that there is no need of being concerned regarding the changes happening on the Sun. But the sinking of satellites along with the growing sunspot has made us compelled to be concerned regarding the evolving conditions as they might prove disastrous, not only for our planet but also for space as well.