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Solar Flares

Satellite communications systems may be affected during intense periods of solar activity such as during solar flares. For example, solar activity is believed to have totally disabled AT&T’s Telstar 401 satellite in January 1997, and temporarily affected the attitude control of two Telesat Canada Anik (E1 and E2) satellites during a solar storm on 20 January 1994, and Intelsat 511 in October 1995. 1

See Also

Notes

  1. T. Foley, ‘Meteors and solar wind: serious threat or hot air’, Communications Week International, 29 June 1998, p. 10. back