Summary:
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Massive Satellite Maneuver: A powerful solar superstorm in May forced thousands of satellites to adjust their altitudes simultaneously due to atmospheric thickening, creating significant potential collision hazards as existing prediction systems struggled to keep up.
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Record Intensity and Impact: The storm, classified as G5, was the strongest since 2003, causing satellites in low Earth orbit to descend rapidly, at a rate of 590 feet per day. Over 10,000 active satellites had to fire their thrusters to maintain their orbits, highlighting the challenges posed by increased space traffic.
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Future Predictions and Benefits: While the storm did help clear some space debris, it also revealed gaps in space weather forecasting and collision prediction. With the peak of the current solar cycle expected in late 2024 and early 2025, more such events are anticipated, necessitating improved predictive measures.
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