SpaceX's high-flying internet plans have taken a hit.

As the American space company announced on Wednesday, 40 of its satellites were hit by a solar storm.

This damaged them so badly that they could not fly to their intended orbit.

Stephen Finsterbusch

Editor in Business.

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A Falcon 9 rocket shot the Earth's satellites into space last week.

In 210 kilometers they were deployed according to plan.

There they should do a kind of test lap and then set course for the final altitude of 550 kilometers.

There they should become part of the Starlink network of thousands of satellites that connects remote regions on earth to the global data networks.

But the satellites deployed on Thursday were caught by a magnetic storm on Friday, Space X said in a statement.

Parts of around 40 of the now burning up satellites will re-enter the atmosphere.

But there is hardly any danger.