In May 2024, Earth was hit by the strongest geomagnetic storm of Solar Cycle 25. The event — now known as the Gannon G5 storm — was triggered by multiple X-class solar flares erupting from solar active region AR3664. Within hours, Earth’s upper atmosphere began expanding dramatically as solar radiation dumped energy into the thermosphere. For most people, the storm produced beautiful auroras. For satellite operators, it created chaos. Thousands of satellites in Low Earth Orbit suddenly experienced elevated atmospheric drag. Orbital trajectories became less predictable, conjunction warnings surged, and satellite operators were forced into large-scale orbital correction maneuvers just to maintain stability. For SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, this became one of the largest real-world stress tests ever experienced by a mega-constellation. I wanted to know something very specific: How much did the storm actually affect orbital decay? Not theoretically. Not through simulations.…