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Solar flares and other forms of solar activity have been known to cause problems for satellites and space technology since the dawn of the Space Age.
The first satellite to fail from a space weather event was the Telstar communications satellite launched in July, 1962. A few months later it suffered a malfunction when an electrical component built up a large charge due to constant exposure to the space environment. Technicians powered-down the satellite and then re-started it, which dissipated the extra charge ,and the satellite was returned to service.
Since then, our current network of over 950 satellites have been affected by solar storms on a regular basis. Most of these effects are brief and barely noticed by ground-based satellite operators. Others have caused complete satellite failure.
Engineers are constantly testing prospective satellite components to make certain that they can withstand the most severe solar storms. The result of this effort has been new generations of satellites that operate for 10 to 15 years or longer, with only occasional episodes of anomalous behavior. [More]
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