Scientists Pinpoint Cause of Mysterious Electrical Surges on Satellites
In 1994, two Canadian TV satellites failed within mere hours of each other. The pair was in a geostationary orbit when a major solar storm hit, resulting in electrostatic discharges that disabled their control electronics. Anik E1 and E2 are just one example of the effects of electric charge buildup on satellites, known as spacecraft environment discharge. New findings show a direct correlation between a spacecraft’s electric discharge and peaks in the flux of electrons in space, identifying hu